JAILS ADOPT EYE-BASED DRUG TEST

HAMILTON - New technology that tests for drug and alcohol use by
measuring the eye's reaction to light is set to make its Canadian
debut in Ontario's jails.

That means that rather than giving a urine sample, inmates will only
have to stare into a specially-designed viewfinder to determine if
they are under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

In an exclusive interview, Correctional Services Minister Rob Sampson
revealed that he is in discussions with an American company to bring
its cutting-edge technology to provincial correctional facilities
when the Tory government's new random drug testing policies come into
effect early next year.

The policies are designed to combat the wide use of contraband drugs
by inmates. Inmates who test positive for contraband drugs and
alcohol will not be eligible for early parole.

The new technology "is the least invasive (testing method), it's
pretty quick and extremely accurate,'' says Sampson.

"It looks like a pair of goggles and it's hooked up to a computer.''

The "fitness impairment screener'' is manufactured by a
Maryland-based company called PMI Incorporated. It was designed by
two former probation officers who were tired of spending their
working days monitoring parolees as they gave urine samples for drug
and alcohol testing.

"They spent all their time in the bathrooms,'' says Dan Meadowcroft,
a Mississauga-based lobbyist who has been hired by PMI to help bring
the screener to Ontario.

It is currently in the process of being approved for use as a medical
device in Canada.

Sampson says the ministry will invite other proposals from private
sector drug testing companies this fall, but there does not seem to
be any Canadian company creating technology comparable to PMI.

Urine samples have always been the most common method of testing for
alcohol and drugs, but it is a time consuming and costly procedure
which raises health concerns about the safe handling of the samples.

The PMI screener is a device the size of a fax machine which has a
viewing area built into it. The person being tested must establish a
normal baseline by looking into the viewfinder which measures the
pupil's diametre "at rest.''

Once a baseline is established, every other test is a comparison with
that "at rest'' measurement. The person taking the test looks into
the viewfinder as a flashing light moves from side to side and the
machine measures the pupils' reflex to the light. The time if takes
for the pupil to react by constricting - called the saccadic velocity
- - is measured, as well as how much it constricts.

Those measurements are then compared by the machine to those taken
"at rest'' to determine if the test subject's reflex has been
impaired. The screener works by measuring the reflexes of the central
nervous system, a system which can be impaired by prescription drugs,
street drugs and alcohol.

If the person taking the test keeps his eyes closed or refuses to
follow the flashing lights, the machine will say the test is
incomplete.

The test takes 30 seconds, is non-invasive, can be self-administered,
costs between $3 and $5 Canadian to do and is tamper-proof, according
to PMI.

The new technology raises questions about the privacy of inmates.
Although the eye test is less-invasive than traditional urine or
saliva tests, the very fact it is so quick and easy to use suggests
it will be used more freely than other methods.

What the eye scan can't do is determine whether a positive test is
the result of drugs, alcohol or sleep deprivation.

For that, the ministry must have a "cascading system'' to diagnose
the cause of the test failure, says Sampson. If an inmate fails the
eye screen test, he or she will then have to provide a urine sample
which can be tested for the exact cause of the failure.

The screener is also only able to determine whether someone is
impaired at that exact moment. Unlike a urine test which can detect
drugs or alcohol consumed hours or even days earlier, the screener
only knows if a person is being affected by a substance at the exact
moment the test is taken.

PMI's screener is used most often for "safety-critical industrial
settings,'' says company spokesperson Ed Hotchkiss. In Australia, for
instance, it is used to screen coal mine workers before they go
underground. It has also been used to test Coast Guard pilots.

One year ago, it was adopted by the Arizona penal system to conduct
random drug tests on inmates and parolees. And Manhattan is in the
process of bringing the screener into its jails for the same reason.

The screener is not being used anywhere at all in Canada right now,
but Sampson says Ontario's drug-plagued jail system is a good place
to introduce it.

"Contraband has been a problem for some time,'' he says.

Information obtained under the Freedom of Information and Protection
of Privacy Act shows that last year, serious contraband drugs -
including street drugs and prescription drugs - were found by guards
77 times at Guelph Correction Centre, making it the Ontario jail with
the highest number of drug seizures.

Second highest that year was Maplehurst Correction Centre with 62.
Hamilton-Wentworth Detention Centre was third highest with 47.

In 1999, Guelph again had the highest number of drug seizures with
116, followed by Maplehurst with 88. Hamilton-Wentworth was fourth
with 25.

The Guelph numbers make sense because, during those two years, it had
the largest inmate population of any Ontario jail.

Ministry of Correctional Services spokesperson Julia Noonan says some
of those seizures would be of illegal street drugs smuggled in by
visitors or inmates who have been out to court appearances. Other
seizures were of prescription drugs hoarded by inmates until large,
illegal quantities were amassed.

Sampson says that random drug testing will help the ministry to
evaluate how extensive the drug problem is among inmates so better
solutions can be found in the future.