All inmates coming into the Butler County Prison will be tested for drugs starting this summer.

“July wouldn’t be out of the question,” said Warden Joe DeMore at the prison board meeting Tuesday.

The board approved testing all new prisoners upon admission.

Board member Judge William Shaffer said the testing would allow for running the prison more efficiently.

“We know who’s coming in the door,” Shaffer said.

He said the current process of relying on incoming inmates answering a questionnaire honestly is not guaranteed.

The board approval also included assessing each inmate the $2.77 cost for the test.

Drug testing already is done at the prison, just not for every prisoner.

Sheriff Mike Slupe, prison board chairman, said in an interview the main focus of testing is to help those with a problem.

“We want to identify these individuals who need further treatment,” Slupe said.

Shaffer said during the meeting that the drug testing cost could be added to the booking fee already charged to inmates.

DeMore said the prison has roughly 2,600 new commitments annually.