New York punished 2,000 prisoners over false positive drug tests, report finds

By MAYSOON KHAN
Associated Press/Report for America

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York’s prison system unfairly punished more than 2,000 prisoners after tests of suspected contraband substances falsely tested positive for drugs according to a report released Thursday by state Inspector General Lucy Lang. Flawed testing of suspected drugs were used to put many prisoners in solitary confinement, halt family visits, or cancel parole hearings. The report says state prison staff failed to confirm the test results with an outside lab. Confirmation was a requirement listed in instructions detailed by the manufacturer of the contraband screening drug tests. The drug test results should have been considered only as preliminary, unconfirmed results, the investigation found.