NCJ Number
129766
Date Published
1991
Length
98 pages
Annotation
A demonstration program of mandatory drug testing of criminal defendants was initiated on January 1, 1989, in eight Federal judicial districts: Eastern District of Arkansas, Middle District of Florida, Eastern District of Michigan, District of Minnesota, District of Nevada, Southern District of New York, District of North Dakota, and Western District of Texas.
Abstract
If feasible, the pretrial testing was to be completed prior to the defendant's initial appearance before the judge and the test results included in the pretrial services report. For felony offenses, defendants were required to refrain from illegal drug use and submit to periodic drug tests at least once every 60 days as an additional, mandatory condition of probation or supervised release. Initial appearance testing identified 31 percent of all tested defendants in the 8 pilot districts as drug users. Cocaine and marijuana were the most commonly identified drugs. The on-site drug testing equipment has been reliable, and pretrial services and probation officers have demonstrated their ability to master the technical aspects of drug testing operations. Recommendations are proposed based on the data which indicate that pretrial testing would enhance current methods of post-conviction testing. 1 appendix and 21 tables