|
|
| Okla. Inmate Drug Use Declining, Tests Show |
| By The Oklahoman |
| Published: 02/10/2003 |
|
Drug testing at Oklahoma prisons reflected a significant drop in inmate drug use since last year, state corrections officials said recently. Random drug testing at the state's prisons, private prisons and contract halfway houses and jails in 2002 showed 2.9 percent of inmates testing positive for drugs, corrections officials told Board of Corrections members at their meeting January 31. This is down from 5.6 percent in 2001. Mary Smith, administrator of programs, said the 2002 numbers represent 'an all-time low' of positive drug tests among Oklahoma inmates. The numbers continued a downward trend of positive drug tests since 1999. In that year, 9.8 percent of inmates tested were positive for drug use. That fell to 8.7 percent in 2000. The department has used drug dogs to search for drugs, every day at some prisons. Two prisons, the Mack Alford Correctional Center in Stringtown and the Lawton Community Corrections Center, were subject to 'facility sweeps,' where the entire prison and every inmate is searched. In those sweeps, 10 inmates were found with drugs at Mack Alford, which had 793 prisoners. No inmates were found with drugs in the Lawton sweep. Smith also credited the department's substance- abuse treatment program for helping curb inmate drug use. But the biggest boost came from improvements at Oklahoma's private prisons, contract halfway houses and county jails. In 1999, the department's contractors showed 12.4 percent of inmates tested positive for drugs, according to a department study. That number dropped to 3.2 percent in 2002. 'The contract facilities have done a lot better,' Smith said. Marijuana was the most common drug found, the study shows. |
advertise
|
privacy policy
|
add URL
|
about us
|
terms/disclaimer
|
contact us
|
join our team
|
help
Do you know someone who has been arrested in Waco or McLennan County? It’s important to find a good Waco lawyer to represent you in the matter involving your own liberty. Look for the best Waco attorney that you can find. Whether you have been accused rightly or wrongly, it’s important to know your legal rights that concern whether you go to jail.