Hundreds of Parole Denials Under Review After California Prison Drug Test Failures

Published: June 2, 2025 • By the Drug Test Digest Team

How many lives can one faulty drug test change? In California, the number might be in the hundreds.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has launched a sweeping review after discovering that nearly 6,000 prison drug tests between April and July 2024 returned false-positive results for opioids. The fallout? Inmates may have been denied parole based on test results that were simply wrong.

Attorneys and advocates are now combing through case files to determine whether those faulty tests directly led to parole denials. If so, affected inmates may be granted new hearings.

A Surge in Positives Raises Red Flags

The issue came to light after UnCommon Law, a nonprofit supporting inmates seeking parole, noticed a sudden spike in drug test failures. Opiate positives had hovered around 6% monthly—but between April and July 2024, they soared to nearly 20% across California’s 31 prison systems.

The tests in question were part of the Medical Assisted Treatment Program, used for inmates managing substance use disorders. While these drug screens are officially for medical purposes only, they’re often visible to parole board members—and may have influenced decisions.

Quest Diagnostics Admits Fault

The culprit? A change in chemical reagents. Quest Diagnostics, the company behind the drug tests, had temporarily substituted a key ingredient in its kits. The change, though FDA-approved, led to thousands of false positives and, potentially, life-altering consequences for incarcerated people.

As of this writing, CDCR is reviewing at least:

• 🔍 459 parole hearings
• 📁 75 administrative denials
• 📄 56 denied petitions for early parole hearings

All impacted individuals were participants in the MAT program between April 2024 and May 2025.

Medical Data, Misused?

Critics argue that medical records should not be influencing parole decisions, especially when based on preliminary test results. These drug screens were never confirmed with follow-up tests, and attorneys worry that their inclusion may discourage inmates from seeking addiction treatment altogether.

“They’re not just ignoring science and expert medical guidance — they’re driving people away from lifesaving treatment during a deadly overdose epidemic in our state prisons,” said Su Kim, senior policy manager at UnCommon Law.

The CDCR has begun notifying impacted inmates via letter and has also updated their electronic health records. Meanwhile, parole board staff received additional training in October 2024 to clarify that these drug tests are intended for medical use only — not parole review.

Still, some attorneys remain skeptical about whether the full scope of the problem is being addressed.

“The Board’s review may not capture everyone impacted by this,” said Natasha Baker, an attorney with UnCommon. “It’s not entirely clear how the Board is deciding that false positives were determinative of a parole decision.”

If you're wondering whether this is the same Quest Diagnostics that handles workplace and pre-employment screening — it is. And it’s not the first time accuracy has been questioned. Related reading: Does Synthetic Urine Work at Quest Diagnostics?

Original source: Los Angeles Times, May 31, 2025

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