Pubdate: Wed, 24 Mar 2004 Source: Times-Picayune, The (LA) Copyright: 2004 The Times-Picayune Contact: http://www.nola.com/t-p/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/848 Author: Steve Cannizaro St. Bernard/Plaquemines bureau PARISH WANTS VIOLATORS CLEAN Many Will Have To Take Drug Test To Get Bail In an effort to stop drug use by people out on bond for drug-related or violent crime arrests, St. Bernard Parish authorities soon will require pretrial drug-testing as a condition of release for certain kinds of bail. The program, authorized by state law, will begin April 15 in 34th Judicial District Court in Chalmette, according to judges and the Sheriff's Office. The drug-testing program will be administered through the parish's drug court, which was started last year. "The program is designed to discourage offenders from continued unlawful use of drugs and to remain drug-free on bail," said state District Judge Robert Buckley, chief judge of 34th Judicial District Court. Buckley said it aims to "reduce repeat offenders and aid crime prevention while providing our drug court an opportunity to intervene with treatment, alternative referral and counseling for the drug user." Several other parishes, including St. Tammany, use a similar program, judges said. St. Bernard Parish sheriff's officials said a test for controlled substances would be administered at the parish prison as a condition for release on all types of bond except commercial surety or a cash deposit. That means people who want to get out of jail on property bonds, personal unsecured surety bonds or to be released on their own recognizance must agree to drug-testing, officials said. A refusal to give consent disqualifies a person from being released on any type of bond except commercial surety bonds or cash deposit, officials said. The defendant must pay for the drug tests, officials said. If someone tests positive for drugs at the jail, they can still be released on bond but they must report to the drug court testing program for periodic drug-testing. Until they post three successive negative test results, they won't be released from the pretrial testing obligation, judges said. If a defendant passes the drug test at the jail, no further pretrial drug-testing while on bail is necessary, officials said. If a person tests positive for drugs while out on bond, that could add conditions to the bond, the judges said. Repeated violations would be subject to revocation of the bond. The results of drug tests are confidential and are not public record, officials said. St. Bernard's new drug court soon will be located next to the Parish Courthouse in the building that formerly housed the state driver's license offices. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman