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Substance Abuse

What is the Substance Abuse Services Program?

A condition that requires people on supervision to participate in substance abuse treatment. Treatment may involve detoxification and consist of individual, family, or group counseling in an outpatient or residential setting. It also includes various methods of testing for the use of drugs.  Refer to the Substance Abuse Treatment webpage of our site for additional information, guidance, assistance, and resources.

How the court uses it

  • To enable officers to monitor the use of illegal drugs, prescription drugs, or alcohol by people on supervision
  • To provide officers with the ability and means to address directly the alcohol or drug abuse of these individuals and to control their behavior

The officer's duties

  • Identify people on supervision with substance abuse problems
    – By reviewing information in case files
    – By interviewing the people and their families
    – By observing their behavior
    – By drug testing
  • As ordered by the court, refer them to substance abuse programs that provide appropriate services
  • Arrange for surprise collection of urine samples and sample testing
  • Look for any signs of drug or alcohol use
  • Take steps to control and correct the situation if people on supervision:
    – Submit positive specimens
    – Fail to give specimens
    – Give adulterated specimens
    – Otherwise fail to comply with their release conditions

The officer's challenges

People with substance abuse problems may be especially difficult to supervise.

  • The impact of substance abuse can be devastating. Dependence on drugs or alcohol adversely affects the physical, mental, emotional, or social well-being of people on supervision
  • There's a direct relationship between substance abuse and crime. In the interest of community safety, it's important that officers detect substance abuse and intervene quickly

What the benefits are

For people with substance abuse problems, supervision may

  • motivate you to abstain from alcohol and drugs
  • teach you to cope without relying on these substances
  • reduce the risk that you will commit crimes in the future