Massachusetts Crime Lab Scandal - 23,000 convictions to be overturned

[woolfe9998]

I guess this case dates back several years. This new reporting is an update.

Apparently a woman working in the Boston forensics lab falsified and/or cut corners on tens of thousands of lab tests in drug cases. A judge has ruled that prosecutors should focus on retrying a subset of the cases where there is sufficient evidence to obtain legitimate convictions. That means 100's of re-trials while the remaining 23,000 convictions will be voided.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/stunning-drug-lab-scandal-could-upend-23-000-convictions-n739626

What a colossal waste of public resources and tax payer dollars. Not to mention that there were undoubtedly a number of innocent people convicted over false lab results.

My take is that this is symptomatic of the failure of this war on drugs. There is such a high volume of cases that there is often pressure put on forensics to cut corners. Time to find a better approach to combating drug abuse.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Yes and from what I remember its a classic case of the lab tech wanting accolades about being the best one ever by the sheer volume of "work" she was "doing"

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

Impressive numbers. I'm sure the local PDs are thrilled to hear the news almost as much as those that will be released.

Solid test for those who stand behind '100 go free rather than 1 innocent imprisoned' folks, myself included.

 

[DarthKyrie]

MA needs to release all of the people in jail for MJ seeing as it's now legal in MA.

 

[Smoblikat]

The war on drugs. "Lets make more people criminals, that should lower the crime rate....."

 

[brycejones]

Oops

 

[Fanatical Meat]

MA needs to release all of the people in jail for MJ seeing as it's now legal in MA.

We kind of already have. To be in jail for pot alone you needed to have a real lot on you like pounds.

 

[sdifox]

Will they also ammend the criminal record of the ones they release?

 

[DarthKyrie]

We kind of already have. To be in jail for pot alone you needed to have a real lot on you like pounds.

I was only going by what it was like when I lived there until 2011 before it was legal even for medical.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

We kind of already have. To be in jail for pot alone you needed to have a real lot on you like pounds.

Not true due to the "three strike" rule.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Not true due to the "three strike" rule.

While I could be wrong, I believe the pot would need to be present during another crime, like carrying a unlicensed gun or an assault. I could be wrong but to my knowledge not many people go to prison over pot in MA for a long time.