SUBSTANCE ABUSE SCREENING

Full-Service Programs

Sentinel offers comprehensive, full-service substance abuse testing and screening to criminal justice agencies nationwide.

Programs are designed to ensure participant accountability while remaining drug-free on the path to recovery. Our trained technicians conduct drug screenings at local offices, removing the department’s burden of collecting samples from individuals ordered to provide them by the Courts.

As part of the program, participants are required to call our toll free call-in system daily to see if they are required to report for testing. Unlike other systems that use color-coded groupings, Sentinel individualizes the reporting schedule for each participant based on their assigned risk level. The program then selects a date within those parameters for the participant to report. Individuals classified as high risk are required to report more often than those individuals classified as medium or low risk.

When a participant is required to report for testing, they come to a local office where they meet with Sentinel personnel. Each drug screen is performed under observation by trained, same-gender Sentinel personnel to ensure validity of results. Urinalysis tests provide immediate preliminary results. Positive initial screens can be sent to a certified lab for GC-MS (Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry) confirmation. Urinalysis tests can be comprised of five, six, or twelve panels.

Sentinel’s drug testing program, along with additional services, like case management and fee collection, can be funded via one of three program models.

The offender-funded model is at no cost to the agency and the participants are responsible for paying all testing fees. When a department is working with a population where some of the participants are unable to pay, the agency subsidized program is the solution. It reduces the agency’s financial obligations, only paying for those who are deemed indigent or unable to pay by the Court or agency. Agencies can also choose to fund the programs directly, leaving the payment and collections process at their full discretion.

Sentinel Substance Abuse Testing

Sentinel’s full-service drug testing can dramatically impact

an agency’s cost-effectiveness and overall efficiency by:

  • Trained personnel perform the drug screenings in local offices
  • Offering 5-, 6-, and 12-panel drug testing options
  • Immediate, initial screening results
  • Offender-funded, agency-subsidized, or agency-funded program models