6 ms·

> why would a lab tech lie?' "'Stunning' Drug Lab Scandal Could Overturn 23,000 Convictions" "She worked at the William A. Hinton State Laboratory Institute

by gowld 7y ago

> why would a lab tech lie?' "'Stunning' Drug Lab Scandal Could Overturn 23,000 Convictions" "She worked at the William A. Hinton State Laboratory Institute in Boston for nearly a decade before her misconduct was exposed in 2012. She admitted to tampering with evidence, forging test results and lying about it. " https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/stunning-drug-lab-scandal-could-upend-23-000-convictions-n739626 https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/stunning-drug-lab-scand...

flowersjeff 7y ago
Very true. I was thinking more of third party labs. A lot of these services are outsourced due to costs / need. For labs that are a part of the system - yeah, I definitely can see how a person working would feel the need to be a 'team' member and support their team. Sad but happens all the time.
- Gene_Parmesan 7y ago
  In my city, where I was a criminal trial prosecutor for a few years, all lab work in criminal cases is done by the medical examiner's office, run by the county. The conflict of interest should be obvious but I don't even know whether the general scheme has ever been challenged.
HarryHirsch 7y ago
If you think that the Dookhan case is unique, here is another one: https://www.dothaneagle.com/news/crime_court/lab-owner-accused-of-falsifying-results-faces-additional-charges/article_79ee7b5f-abd1-5056-9124-55609bac5950.html https://www.dothaneagle.com/news/crime_court/lab-owner-accus... This time it's made-up paternity tests and made-up drug tests in custody cases. The lack of cross-checks in the judicial system is concerning, it absolutely invites corruption.
- throwawaycanada 7y ago
  The worst part about this case was in the custody situations. Even if as a parent you prove the test was false, if they take your kid early enough and for long enough they still won't let you have your kid back. Even if you are totally innocent. And that time span is relatively short.
  - HarryHirsch 7y ago
    This woman must be firmly entrenched in her community in rural Alabama if she could get a contract with Dale County Human Services not long after she pled guilty to credit card fraud in 2013. Just look at her photo! She is righteous, and her victims were all drug-taking adulterous noogoodniks. If the case goes to trial the jury will give her a hug, a bible and a year on probation.

by gowld 7y ago

flowersjeff 7y ago

Very true. I was thinking more of third party labs. A lot of these services are outsourced due to costs / need. For labs that are a part of the system - yeah, I definitely can see how a person working would feel the need to be a 'team' member and support their team. Sad but happens all the time.

Gene_Parmesan 7y ago
In my city, where I was a criminal trial prosecutor for a few years, all lab work in criminal cases is done by the medical examiner's office, run by the county. The conflict of interest should be obvious but I don't even know whether the general scheme has ever been challenged.

HarryHirsch 7y ago

If you think that the Dookhan case is unique, here is another one: https://www.dothaneagle.com/news/crime_court/lab-owner-accused-of-falsifying-results-faces-additional-charges/article_79ee7b5f-abd1-5056-9124-55609bac5950.html https://www.dothaneagle.com/news/crime_court/lab-owner-accus... This time it's made-up paternity tests and made-up drug tests in custody cases. The lack of cross-checks in the judicial system is concerning, it absolutely invites corruption.

throwawaycanada 7y ago
The worst part about this case was in the custody situations. Even if as a parent you prove the test was false, if they take your kid early enough and for long enough they still won't let you have your kid back. Even if you are totally innocent. And that time span is relatively short.
- HarryHirsch 7y ago
  This woman must be firmly entrenched in her community in rural Alabama if she could get a contract with Dale County Human Services not long after she pled guilty to credit card fraud in 2013. Just look at her photo! She is righteous, and her victims were all drug-taking adulterous noogoodniks. If the case goes to trial the jury will give her a hug, a bible and a year on probation.