COMMISSIONER'S DIRECTIVE

URINALYSIS TESTING IN THE COMMUNITY

Policy Bulletin 190

[ Policy Objectives  |  Authority  |  Definitions  |  Responsibilities of the Director General, Security  |  District Director's Responsibilities  |  Collection of Samples  |  Testing of Samples  |  Reporting of Test Results  |  Data Collection Procedures  |  ANNEX A - Class of Intoxicants  |  ANNEX B - Analysis of Diluted/Adulterated Samples  ]

POLICY OBJECTIVES

1. To establish the procedures for the collection, storage, shipment, and testing of urine samples in the community.

2. To ensure that the urinalysis program is conducted in a fair and consistent manner.

3. To assist offenders in becoming law-abiding citizens by supporting and monitoring them in their discontinuance of substance abuse behaviour.

AUTHORITY

4. Commissioner's Directive 566 - Prevention of Security Incidents.

DEFINITIONS

5. Laboratory: A laboratory contracted by CSC to analyze samples is an authorized laboratory for the purposes of section 60 of the CCRR.

6. Cut-off level: concentration of a drug in the urine used to determine at which limit of quantitation the test will be considered positive or negative as per Annex A.

7. Direct observation: manner in which offenders shall supply a urine sample in open view, allowing the container, as well as the urine sample entering the container, to be seen at all times by the collector. Mirrors may be used to facilitate the continuous observation process.

8. Positive test results: a urine sample containing a concentration equal to or greater than the established cut-off levels listed in Annex A.

9. Negative test results: a urine sample containing a concentration below the established cut-off levels listed in Annex A.

10. Urine sample: a quantity of urine of at least 40 ml, supplied at one time, sufficient to permit analysis by an authorized laboratory.

11. Diluted sample: the creatinine concentration in the urine sample is below the range of normal human urine.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE DIRECTOR GENERAL, SECURITY

12. The Director General, Security shall ensure the following:

1. that a national coordinator is identified; and
2. that the training needs for Urinalysis Program Coordinators and collectors are identified and to provide the appropriate support.

DISTRICT DIRECTOR'S RESPONSIBILITIES

13. The District Director shall be responsible for:

1. the implementation and maintenance of the Urinalysis Program;
2. designating a Urinalysis Program Coordinator and collectors; and
3. ensuring that the Urinalysis Program Coordinator and collectors are properly trained.

14. The Urinalysis Program Coordinator shall be anyone above the level of Parole Officer as determined by the District Director for the purpose of this policy.

COLLECTION OF SAMPLES

15. All demands for a sample shall be presented to the offender using Notification to Provide a Urine Sample form (CSC/SCC 1064-1, Community).

16. The Urinalysis Program Coordinator shall review any written objections related to the frequency of urine sample testing and shall provide within 72 hours, a written response which includes the reasoning for the decision.

17. The date and time of demands for samples shall be irregular. Offenders shall not be informed of the date and time when they will be required to provide a urine sample.

18. In the event it is not possible in the community to collect a urine sample without prior notification to the offender, he or she may be informed, no longer than 24 hours in advance, that a urine sample will be demanded.

19. The collection area shall be searched by the collector prior to the offender's arrival.

20. Access to the collection area shall be controlled while the urine collection is in progress.

21. The collector shall escort the offender to the collection area and may conduct a routine non-intrusive search or a routine frisk search of the offender.

22. The collector shall require that the offender remove any bulky clothing, such as a coat or loose fitting outer garments, in order to reduce the possibility of an attempt to alter or falsify the urine sample.

23. Collection and storage of samples shall be conducted according to laboratory procedures and in accordance with section 66 of the CCRR.

24. The number of persons involved in handling samples shall be kept at a minimum.

25. A completed copy of the Chain of Custody form (CSC/SCC 1065) shall be enclosed in a sealed, waterproof bag and inserted into the shipping container.

26. Each shipping container shall be sealed, signed and dated by the collector or the Urinalysis Program Coordinator across a tamper resistant tape affixed on the top of the shipping container. The tape shall overlap the top and go down on both sides.

27. The shipping container shall be transported to the laboratory by a designated governmental or private courier service.

TESTING OF SAMPLES

28. The urinalysis results shall be transmitted by the laboratory to the specific responsibility centre, in accordance with the contractual requirements.

REPORTING OF TEST RESULTS

29. The test results for an offender shall be forwarded to the Parole Officer, and the Substance Abuse Program Coordinator.

30. If an offender disputes a positive test result and wishes to have a retest of the same sample, the Urinalysis Program Coordinator shall contact the National Urinalysis Program Coordinator who in turn shall process the request.

31. Payment for a retest is the responsibility of the offender and shall be paid in advance.

DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURES

32. The Urinalysis Program Coordinator shall ensure that all relevant data related to the urinalysis testing are properly recorded in the Offender Management System (OMS) in a timely fashion.

33. All offender information related to the Urinalysis Program shall be classified "PROTECTED B".

Commissioner,

Original signed by
Lucie McClung

ANNEX A - CLASSES OF INTOXICANTS

1. If the confirmation for subgroup a) of Benzodiazepines is negative, the laboratory will sequentially proceed to confirm subgroup b) and then subgroup c) using the limit of quantitation for each drug.

2. If the confirmation for subgroup a) of Opiates is negative, the laboratory will proceed to confirm subgroup b) using a 300 ng/ml cut-off value.

ANNEX B - ANALYSIS OF DILUTED/ADULTERATED SAMPLES

1. If the creatinine concentration in the urine sample is less than 20mg/dL and/or the specific gravity is less than or equal to 1.003, a comprehensive forensic toxicology drug screening of the urine specimen for Group 1 drugs will be completed.

2. The confirmatory cut-off value for each substance are shown in the table below.

* The confirmation LOQ numbers are subject to change upon method revalidation.

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