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Crime Lab Scandal Leaves Massachusetts Legal System In Turmoil

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Re: Crime Lab Scandal Leaves Massachusetts Legal System In Turmoil

#12

Post by Estragon »

vsviridov wrote: post #3

34000 tainted cases is not "messed up big time". It's deliberate and malicious. And she gets 3-5 years? Bullshit.

I volunteer with a nonviolent communication program at a local prison, and I would guess that sentence would completely shatter her, at least if she was male. Every fellow inmate will identify with her victims and in a male prison they would be vengeful. Not sure how it will work out in a female prison.

Re: Crime Lab Scandal Leaves Massachusetts Legal System In Turmoil

#13

Post by vsviridov »

Estragon wrote: post #12
vsviridov wrote: post #3

34000 tainted cases is not "messed up big time". It's deliberate and malicious. And she gets 3-5 years? Bullshit.

I volunteer with a nonviolent communication program at a local prison, and I would guess that sentence would completely shatter her, at least if she was male. Every fellow inmate will identify with her victims and in a male prison they would be vengeful. Not sure how it will work out in a female prison.

Probably. But that's the karmic justice, I guess.

What is even more horrible, is that she'll do the time, but all the prosecutors, whose careers she boosted, would walk away from this clean...

Re: Crime Lab Scandal Leaves Massachusetts Legal System In Turmoil

#14

Post by danso »

The OP is a bit outdated...Dookhan has since been sentenced to 3 to 5 years in prison:

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/11/22/annie-dookhan-fo...

The system is indeed in turmoil as it has to continue to review a massive number of cases. One of the worser case scenarios has since happened: a man who was freed because of possibly tainted evidence went on to allegedly murder someone

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/05/17/man-freed-becaus...

Re: Crime Lab Scandal Leaves Massachusetts Legal System In Turmoil

#15

Post by theg2 »

All sorts of "fun" stuff going on here:

Another chemist found with no credentials - http://badchemistry.wbur.org/2013/11/26/mass-chemist-academi...

How fast did Dookhan work contrasted to case load: http://badchemistry.wbur.org/2013/05/15/annie-dookhan-drug-t...

Re: Crime Lab Scandal Leaves Massachusetts Legal System In Turmoil

#16

Post by matthewmacleod »

[deleted] wrote: post #9
vsviridov wrote: post #3

34000 tainted cases is not "messed up big time". It's deliberate and malicious. And she gets 3-5 years? Bullshit.

[deleted]

What's the justification for that? What qualifies you to pass such a sentence, and what makes the sentence the justice system settled on inappropriate?

Re: Crime Lab Scandal Leaves Massachusetts Legal System In Turmoil

#18

Post by judk »

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/2012/12/20/in...

The DA is already covering up and defending the prosecutor's involvement, saying there is nothing wrong with prosecutors telling Dhookan what test results they needed to get their convictions, in clear violation of proper experimental procedures.

Re: Crime Lab Scandal Leaves Massachusetts Legal System In Turmoil

#19

Post by sigstoat »

jonlucc wrote: post #6
michaelfeathers wrote: post #2

I'm curious what percentage of testing goes through that lab.

This is a good question. I think most cities have one lab. They probably have multiple analysts in the lab, but I think it's still a pretty high percentage of the total cases.

sadly, no, most cities don't have their own tox/drug chemistry lab. there are entire states with just 1 lab.

i'm not familiar with massachusetts, but i wouldn't be surprised if most of the relevant testing for the state was going through there.

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