Résumé
This paper outlines the processes involved in one specific drug detection methodology - urine testing or urinalysis -- as it is used in Australia's Drug Use Monitoring Program (DUMA). One of urinalysis's chief advantages is that it provides information on very recent drug use. More specifically, it enables researchers to objectively determine whether a person who has been recently detained by the police has recently consumed drugs. This is an important policy concern as a number of surveys of prisoners have shown that drug using offenders self-report committing disproportionately more crime than non-drug using offenders. In addition, drug dependent detainees may require police to employ new ways of handling such people where duty of care issues arise such as in the watchhouse environment. The DUMA project collects urine specimens for drug detection purposes and this paper outlines the surrounding issues and controversies of urinalysis testing.