>Users:   login   |  register       > email     > people    


Marion County Brings Drug Testing In-House
By Meghan Mandeville, News Research Reporter
Published: 04/19/2004

Last week, sample collection at the Marion County (Ind.) Probation-Based Drug Testing Laboratory hit an all-time high: 509 samples were collected and tested in just one week-a milestone that shows the lab's importance. Since it was created three years ago, thousands of offender urine samples have been rolling in from the probation department and other county agencies, which rely on the lab to help them monitor offenders' drug use.

Before probation brought drug testing in-house, the department would have to send offender urine samples to the county's crime lab, which limited the number of samples it would accept from probation each week to 50.  As a result, many of the 11,000 offenders on probation in Marion County were not being drug-tested, solely because the lab could not accommodate such a large volume of samples.

"It was obvious that the amount of testing that officers would like to have performed would not be able to be done [by the crime lab]," said Norma Erickson, Program Manager of the Drug Testing Lab.  "By Tuesday or Wednesday, they had tested everyone they could," she said, pointing out that probationers who had appointments later in the week typically could not get drug tested because the department had already reached its crime lab quota.

Probation's increased need for more efficient drug testing prompted the department to build its own lab--right in the basement of the City County Building in downtown Indianapolis.

Building the Lab

"There needed to be resources [to drug test] right here in the building [and] operating at hours that would accommodate the clients so they could come early in the morning and late in the evening so they [could] give a sample and not have to miss work," Erickson said. 

So, the county decided to start up its own drug testing operation, which is open Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. and on Friday from 7 a.m. until 4:30 in the afternoon. To create the lab, the county requested proposals for drug testing technology; Dade Behring won the bid, offering to supply the lab with various products, including analyzers and a data management program to retain results and generate reports, according to Erickson.

"They handled the whole package," Erickson said.  "That's been real nice--to have all that pulled together under one umbrella."

With Dade Behring equipment, probation's lab can test clients for 12 different substances, whereas the crime lab had previously only tested for people for marijuana, alcohol and cocaine use.   Cannabinoids (THC), Phencyclidine (PCP), Methadone, Amphetamines, Opiates, Barbiturates, Benzodiazepines, Propoxyphene and Creatinine, which indicates that someone has tried to mask drug use, are all detectable now.

To collect and test the samples, the probation department staffs the lab with 10 employees, including collectors, technicians and a manager--Erickson.  With its increased manpower and testing capabilities, the lab conducts drug testing for many county criminal justice agencies, not just probation.

Getting Results

According to Erickson, the lab serves Marion County Community Corrections, the Drug Treatment Court and the juvenile detention center, which collects the samples itself and sends them there.

Thanks to an electronic delivery system, results go out quickly to requesting officers and agencies. 

"Our goal is, and we meet this very well, by noon the next day, our results are at the officers' desktop computer," Erickson said.  "We hit a button and the whole list gets shot via email right straight to the officer [who requested the test]," she said.

The electronic results are a welcome change to the former paper-based results that the crime lab produced, which often took longer to come back.

"[The lab is] a tremendous benefit to our officers.  It normally took the crime lab approximately a week to get results back to us on a drug test.  Almost without fail now, we have [the results] in a day or less," said Chris Ball, Deputy Chief of Probation for Administration.  "In addition to increasing our capability and being able to test whenever we feel it's appropriate and really hold the offender more accountable, we're getting results much quicker," she said.

Ultimately, being able to better monitor offenders and hold them responsible for their actions is a major goal of the probation department.  The Drug Testing Lab helps officers to achieve this mission.

"I think it's important because [officers] really want to react quickly to a situation if they have someone that they really want to supervise very closely," said Erickson.  "The sooner they know a result, the sooner they can do whatever their policy says they should do for people."

Facing a Few Challenges

While the on-site drug-testing lab enables probation officers to do their jobs better, operating its own lab does present some obstacles to the department.

"Of course, one of the biggest challenges is keeping costs down," said Erickson.  "We're not trying to make any extra money off of this.  We just want to keep it at cost."

The lab, which was created without any county money, is sustained by offender-paid fees.  People coming to the lab from other agencies pay five dollars for each test and probationers pay varied fees.

Aside from financial issues, the lab also has to contend with those people who try to fool their drug test results.

"That's a problem for anybody who administers drug tests," Erickson said.  "We spend a lot of time trying not to be outfoxed."

While there are a few obstacles for Marion County's Probation-Based Drug Testing Lab, Ball and Erickson agree that its benefits out weigh them, especially in terms of the number of people who can now be tested for drug use.

"Some of [probationers] never got tested before," Ball said.  "Now you can guarantee they're going to be tested frequently during their probation period."

For other counties who wish to ramp up their drug testing, a lab like Marion County's might not be such a bad idea, according to Erickson.

"It may not be an idea for everyone, but I think there certainly are some agencies that could benefit from the way we do things here," Erickson said.

Resources:

For more information about the Marion County Probation-Based Drug Testing Lab, contact Erickson at (317) 327-4428 or Ball at (317) 327-3059



Comments:

No comments have been posted for this article.


Login to let us know what you think

User Name:   

Password:       


Forgot password?





correctsource logo




Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of The Corrections Connection User Agreement
The Corrections Connection ©. Copyright 1996 - 2024 © . All Rights Reserved | 15 Mill Wharf Plaza Scituate Mass. 02066 (617) 471 4445 Fax: (617) 608 9015