STATE DRUG-TESTING INITIATIVE GETTING RESULTS

Study Finds Drug Use, Rearrests Drop For Parolees, Probationers

A mandatory drug-testing program launched by the state in 1998 is
showing promising results in cutting drug use and rearrests among
criminal offenders, Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend told a
legislative panel yesterday.

Townsend pointed to a study showing that Break the Cycle, an
initiative she helped launch, had yielded a 53 percent decline in
positive drug tests among 19,500 parolees and probationers assigned to
the program for two months or more.

The University of Maryland study also showed a 23 percent decrease in
the number of rearrests of offenders in the program -- 10.6 percent
compared to 13.8 percent before the program was launched.

`Encouraging'

"These are initial results, but they're very encouraging," Townsend
said. "With any new initiative, it takes a while to get up and running
and for all the kinks to be worked out of it."

Faye S. Taxman, who conducted the study, agreed that early results
suggest the state might be on the right track. "There are some
positive indicators that they are moving in the right direction,"
Taxman said.

Del. Peter Franchot, chairman of a House subcommittee that oversees
the criminal justice budget, said the results were "very striking."

Typically, drugs tests administered to parolees and probationers turn
out positive in about 34 percent of cases. The Break the Cycle program
managed to cut that to 16 percent after two months of twice-a-week
testing, Taxman said. She said the declines bottom out at that point
but continue to hold steady for as long as six months.

The report shows that the number of offenders failing to show up for
scheduled tests dropped from about 33 percent at the beginning of the
program to about 14 percent.

Program started in 1998

Under the Break the Cycle program introduced in October 1998, all
offenders in the program who are on parole and probation are required
to undergo routine drug testing. The state had previously been testing
only about 5 percent of those on parole or probation. The program
relies on aggressive follow-up by parole and probation agents to see
that offenders show up for testing and on a series of escalating
sanctions for positive test results.

Taxman's study found that the program has fallen short of its goals in
applying sanctions. She said that in 10 percent to 20 percent of
cases, agents did not respond to an offender's positive drug test or
failure to appear.

Townsend acknowledged there were still "challenges" facing the
program. She said the administration plans to reform the parole and
probation program and to raise the pay and reduce the caseload of agents.

The $2.9 million-a-year Break the Cycle initiative operates in seven
jurisdictions, including Baltimore City and Baltimore, Prince George's
and Montgomery counties.

The governor's budget proposal released yesterday does not call for an
expansion of the program next year, but an aide to Townsend held open
the possibility of seeking additional funds during the legislative
session.

Stuart O. Simms, secretary of the Department of Public Safety and
Correctional Services, has said the state plans to expand the program
to 25,000 offenders with a history of drug abuse.