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Maricopa jail inmates removed from work furlough

Posted at 6:41 AM, Jun 20, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-20 09:41:50-04

Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone says 83 jail inmates have been removed from the work furlough program over drug issues.

At a news conference Tuesday, Penzone said 72 inmates tested positive for drugs when they were randomly tested after work.
    
He says 11 other inmates were removed from the program for refusing a drug test.
    
The program allows more than 200 inmates to leave the jail for up to 12 hours a day to go to their jobs and retain their employment.
    
The male and female work furlough inmates are housed at the Durango Jail.
    
Penzone says 177 were drug tested last Thursday and a large number of the inmates tested positive for meth or opioids.
    
He says the numbers are unacceptable and the work furlough program is being re-evaluated.