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According to Abadinsky (2015), substance abuse is the single most frequent problem across Probation and Parole populations. Substance abuse increases the obstacles facing returning offenders to communities. Those with a history of substance abuse have probation or parole officers who routinely test them for drug use (Abadinsky,2015). The problem with drug testing is that it can only determine that the subject has used a drug recently; it cannot determine when or how much. As stated by Abadinsky (2015), there are also complications in collecting, storing, and shipping urine samples. There is also the problem of their nonmedical use of prescription drugs and so called designer drugs, substances that do not have a readily available or economically feasible method of detection. Methadone is a wholly synthetic narcotic that produces virtually the same analgesic and sedative effects as heroin and is less addictive (Abadinsky,2015). The American Addiction Centers Editorial Staff (2020), stated that the Benefits of methadone therapy include:Reduction in criminal activity due to stopping illicit drug use, Reduction in infectious disease due to stopping opiate abuse, particularly injection drug abuse, and overall improvement in quality of life.

Drug treatment for those with struggle with substances abuse, reduces crimes, helps to find the proper treatment for the individual and helps the individual recover in a facility and eventually within his or her own community. But, it’s not simple- one of the most tying aspects is obtaining reliable information as offenders don’t always accurately report drug it alcohol issues. Other issues, such as mental disorder, underlying mental or physical abuse and other truama make it more difficult while trying to treat the offender as all of these factors must be addressed. Other serious tissues are sloppy recording procedures along with failing to maintain control of the urine specimen which both can cause serious errors in testing. Besides urine samples, there are less intrusive ways to be tested such as through saliva or a sweat patch. The sweat patch is attached to the skin for 7 days yet the issues with this are that it can collect drug molecules from clothes and even from other people which can penetrate the patch and give a false positive.

The problem with drug testing is there are now many ways to flush substances out of one’s system. Therefore participant’s in these programs could still use drugs and flush them out the day prior to there drug testing. The advantages of using methadone to treat heroin addicts is it reduces drug use. Addicts usually fall into a poor state after quitting a drug with methadone it becomes less harmful with withdrawl effects.

Probation and parole officers routinely drug test their clients, especially those with a history of substance abuse. Urine samples are used for drug tests, however, the individual must be under close supervision while producing the sample in order to prevent tampering. The problem with urine samples is that there are many devices and chemicals that anyone can order online that will produce a drug free urine sample. The issue with drug tests such as urine samples, saliva tests, and sweat patch tests is that it can only determine that the individual recently used a drug but cannot determine when the drug was used or how much was used. Methadone is an entirely synthetic narcotic that can be used to treat people who are addicted to heroin and narcotic pain medicines. In order for an individual to qualify for methadone treatment they must be addicted to heroin for at least one year. Low doses of methadone are administered to the individual at first, then, as the dosage increases, the high feeling gets reduced and eventually disappears once a significant tolerance is developed. Some advantages of methadone treatment is that it will largely minimize the cravings for heroin and it reduces the individual’s risk of HIV, HEP C, and other diseases that can be transmitted intravenously.

We can all acknowledge that drug abuse is a huge problem, and many offenders have substance abuse problems. Continuing to abuse drugs will be considered a violation of the conditions of probation and parole for offenders. The Bureau of Justice Statistics found that more than 53 percent of state inmate and about 45 percent of federal were either abusing drugs or totally dependent on them. Knowing this, it is imperative that probation and parole officers be educated when it comes to drug use and how they can affect the offenders they supervise. There are a few issues that with drug testing – with offenders having regular scheduled visits, they know the amount of time that is required to essentially “flush” drugs out of their system. Some have been known to try to “cleanse” their urine when they need to take a test, others have tried to swap urine with another person. Additionally, testing will not give specifics, only confirm that drugs were recently in the system. Methadone is an opioid used in treating heroin addicts and has been known to make recovery possible. The addict can concentrate on their therapy and address the issues that led to their substance abuse, and don’t have to deal with constant cravings and go through withdrawal. Some other advantages are criminal activity is decreased because illegal drug use is no longer a priority; offenders are afforded a greater opportunity at realizing full recovery and the overall quality of life is enriched.