SHAMEFUL

New York Prisons Kept Inmates in Solitary Because of Faulty Drug Tests

In all, 1,600 inmates suffered punishments such as denied family visits or parole due to the bad tests.

Prisons across New York withheld family visits and parole from more than 1,000 inmates on the basis of faulty drug tests for months, according to a damning report from the New York state inspector general released Tuesday. Tests made by the company Microgenics repeatedly returned “rampant false positive[s]” for buprenorphine, an opioid often used in addiction treatment, and synthetic cannabinoids. In all, 1,600 inmates suffered punishment, including solitary confinement, because the state used the tests over an eight-month period in 2019. Despite a rule that a positive test must be followed up with a more sensitive test, officials rarely did so, instead repeating a Microgenics test, according to the report. Inspector General Lucy Lang said Tuesday, “This stands as a heartbreaking example of how the absence of transparency can undermine due process and basic human rights.”