[Value of drug screening in granting leave of absence to prisoners]

Permitting prisoners to leave the prison for a certain time is one basic element of rehabilitation. As a rule, the inmate is not allowed to leave the prison before a psychologist or psychiatrist is consulted. A considerable number of criminals have committed crimes under the influence of addictive drugs. Many of them continue to indulge in drug abuse even in prison. Therefore, a special programme was introduced in the prison of Graz-Karlau in Austria. In the course of this programme, inmates who are about to leave prison are made to undergo a urinarlysis with immunological methods. In 1997, positive results were registered in 95 of 678 tested prisoners. Thus, this method is an effective means of determining whether prisoners may be granted a temporary release. Persons with a positive urine test may be refused permission. At the same time, every inmate with a positive test may avail himself of an appropriate treatment programme.