Sec. 500.007.  TESTING FOR CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES.  (a)  The department after consultation with the Criminal Justice Policy Council shall implement a program to randomly test, for the purpose of determining the presence of controlled substances, the breath, blood, or other bodily substances of inmates housed in facilities operated by or under contract with the department.
(b)  The department annually shall test not less than five percent of the inmates housed in facilities operated by or under contract with the department.
(c)  The department shall use the most cost-effective means possible to perform the tests required by this section, and shall actively seek grants from the federal government or other sources to expand the program created under this section.
(d)  If the department performs a test described by Subsection (a) and determines the presence of a controlled substance in an inmate, the department may in return for the cooperation of the inmate in identifying the individual who delivered the controlled substance to the inmate defer or dismiss punitive actions, including criminal prosecution, forfeiture of good conduct time or reduction in good conduct time earning status, or forfeiture of privileges, that the department could otherwise take against the inmate.
Added by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1351, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1997.