A chemical dependency evaluation is a test that is ordered by the court to be undertaken by any person that is facing a conviction for a drug or alcohol related charge. The purpose of the chemical dependency evaluation is to give a professional opinion to the court of a person's likely contributors and future probable behavior relating to the abuse of any substance. A normal part of a chemical evaluation test is a urine sample that is used for analysis as well as a list of questions that are answered about a person's past and current consumption patterns. The decisions within a chemical dependency evaluation can form the basis for a judgment set out by a judge.
A judge seeks a chemical dependency evaluation in order to decide whether it is the best course of action to send a person to jail for the crime committed or to send them to rehabilitation. The judge will order a person attend rehabilitation over jail if the person is a repeat offender and/or a long term drug user that has not attempted to undertake a rehabilitation process. It can also help to ascertain which drugs or the amount of alcohol a person has normally within their system and is thus helpful to decide the best course of future action.