Bill looks to test Nevada inmates for drugs before parole

A Nevada lawmaker wants to make clean drug tests a parole requirement.

Assemblyman Josh Griffin, R-Henderson, is pushing a measure he says would reduce prison drug use.

The bill, AB209, would mandate drug tests for prison inmates before their parole hearings -- with a positive test making them ineligible for release.

"The intent is to try to root this out," Griffin said. "It could have a dramatic impact on reducing the amount of drugs in prisons."

The Department of Corrections randomly tests 5 percent of its population each month. Glen Whorton, assistant director for operations, said 222 of the 13,000 tests last year were positive, or just 1.7 percent.

Whorton said Griffin's plan could work.

"I would assume that what would happen is that inmates who were pending a parole would be more careful about their behavior than inmates who weren't," Whorton said.

Griffin said the as yet undetermined fiscal impact could be the most interesting part of debate on the measure, introduced Thursday.

Legislative analysts are researching costs of tests, which can run up to $100, and the potential affect on prisons, including how many people would have their parole rejected because of the measure.

Whorton said it is unclear how many inmates use drugs, but said the low percentage of positive tests indicates the problem isn't widespread.

While Griffin hopes to test more people inside prison walls, the testing of parolees is declining. The Division of Parole and Probation has slashed its drug testing program, cutting more than $50,000 for testing from its upcoming two-year budget.

Griffin said he recognizes the inconsistency with testing people before parole and then not testing upon release, but said he hopes the Legislature can restore funding for testing parolees.

Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie, D-Reno, said that while she considers prison drug use an issue to discuss, she's not sure AB209 is the way to go.

"The bigger concern is where do (inmates) go when they get out of prison," Leslie said. "I'm not as concerned about them using drugs in prison as I am when they get out on parole and they don't have a drug-free environment to go back to."

The state Parole Board made decisions on almost 7,300 inmates last year. Each of them would undergo a drug test under Griffin's proposal.