Drug Testing Police Coercion Essay

Total Length: 680 words ( 2 double-spaced pages)

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Drug Testing / Police Coercion

Probationers/parolees Rights

Individuals classified as either probationers or parolees occupy an intermediate position in regard to their constitutional rights. They do not enjoy the full range of rights afforded ordinary citizens but they enjoy greater freedom and rights than those who are incarcerated. Probationers/parolees have a reduced expectation of privacy in comparison to regular citizens. In general, the rules of probation and parole, as recognized by the courts, restrict the rights of such individuals to the extent necessary to further the goals of probation or parole. These goals are ordinarily to assist the probationer or parolee in their efforts to rehabilitate themselves and still allow the state to monitor and enforce the conditions of probation/parole. The legal rationale for this position is that it is necessary in order to promote a legitimate governmental interest in protecting society from the activities of those who have already demonstrated that they are more likely to violate the law than ordinary citizens.

The policy in Harris County, Texas is to have initial drug and alcohol tests on probationers/parolees to be administered internally.
If the results are positive, the tests are then confirmed externally by a certified lab. This approach is taken in recognition that positive results greatly affect the rights of the probationer/parolee and can have disastrous complications including additional incarceration. Probationers and parolees have the right to challenge the results but such the costs of the additional testing and the arrangements to have such testing done must be done by the probationer / parolee. In the event that a probation or parole violation is filed by the supervising agency, the results of all tests shall be submitted to the court in the required hearing for determining whether or not the chemical or alcohol testing qualifies as a probation/parole violation. The court possesses the position as the ultimate decision maker.

2. Police Coercion

Because a confession is one of the strongest forms of evidence available for the prosecution, the courts have been aggressive in establishing procedures for determining whether….....

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"Drug Testing Police Coercion" (2012, February 29) Retrieved May 20, 2024, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/drug-testing-police-coercion-54664

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"Drug Testing Police Coercion" 29 February 2012. Web.20 May. 2024. <
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/drug-testing-police-coercion-54664>

Latest Chicago Format (16th edition)

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"Drug Testing Police Coercion", 29 February 2012, Accessed.20 May. 2024,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/drug-testing-police-coercion-54664