About AARIN

The Arizona Arrestee Reporting Information Network (AARIN) is operated by researchers from Arizona State University West.  A pilot project is being proposed in Maricopa County which was one of the original DUF sites and became an ADAM site in 1997.   Arizona Arrestee Reporting Information Network will be modeled after the National Institute of Justice’s (NIJ) ADAM program.  

It is anticipated that the AARIN program will be extended in other regions of the state.  Pima County was an ADAM site from 1998 to 2003.  The data collection strategy for the AARIN sites will include quarterly samples of adult males, adult females, juvenile males, and juvenile females. 

Based upon a proven research model employed by NIJ, the AARIN provides a cost effective means for an early monitoring and warning system pertaining to drug usage of offenders in Arizona.  The purpose of the project is to provide meaningful information to Arizonan researchers and policy makers in assessing the impact of substance upon criminal and juvenile justice systems.

How AARIN Operates

AARIN is a two component system for monitoring trends in drug use in the arrestee population.  The components consist of a questionnaire administered to a sample of arrestee within 48 hours of their arrest and a voluntary urine specimen provided by the arrestee.  Data collection takes place for a two week period once each calendar quarter in every AARIN site.  In most sites over 80 percent of the arrestees asked to participate agree to be interviewed and over 80 percent provide a urine sample.  Trained interviewers administer the AARIN questionnaire to obtain data on arrestee characteristics and drug use.  Occasionally, supplementary questions, known as addenda, are also included in the interview to provide other types of information of interest to policymakers on such topics as illegal gun markets, gang participation, and patterns of crack cocaine usage.  Urine samples are screened for 10 drugs using the EMIT (Enzyme Multiplied Immunoassay Testing) system.  It is anticipated that the AARIN testing panel will include: amphetamines, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, cocaine, marijuana, methadone, methaqualone, opiates, PCP,  and proxpoxyphene. Urine specimens testing positive for amphetamines are subjected to confirmation testing to determine whether a specific form of amphetamine or methamphetamine was used.