When Treatment Comes at the Cost of Freedom

How the California Parole Board uses substance use treatment records to keep people locked up

UnCommon Law is featured in a special series of episodes on the Beyond Prisons podcast examining the California Board of Parole Hearings' misuse of Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) records in parole decisions and the impact on incarcerated people seeking release.

In Episode 1, When Treatment Comes at the Cost of Freedom, Supervising Attorney for Litigation and Policy Natasha Baker provides an overview of the issue, beginning with the basics of California's MAT program, who it serves, and the role drug testing plays in treatment. The episode explores why these tests were designed as clinical tools—not evidence of misconduct—and examines the 2024 wave of false positive drug test results linked to a testing error by Quest Diagnostics.

Listeners will learn how inaccurate test results found their way into parole hearings, how they were used in decisions about a person's suitability for release, and the serious consequences these errors can have for people who have spent years preparing to return home.

Listen to Episode 1 of the Beyond Prisons podcast to learn more about this issue and its impact on people seeking freedom.