'System Overload' — Backlog Soars at Drug Labs Nationwide, Not Just Shuttered Lab in Jamaica Plain
The case of "rogue chemist" Annie Dookhan, accused of tainting drug evidence in thousands of cases, should be seen in context of increasing pressure on forensic labs, professionals say.
"Rogue chemist" Annie Dookhan, accused of tainting drug samples in thousands of Bay State cases, didn't operate in a vacuum. More like a sweatshop. Lab professionals say caseloads have soared across the U.S., with backlogs of more than a month rising sharply since 2005, according to an article in Nature. Dookhan's case is already infamous here in Massachusetts, where it has shaken confidence in the justice system. Authorities say Dookhan, for reasons unknown, altered evidence and rushed through testing in up to 34,000 drug cases during her years as a chemist at the State Drug Lab in JP. An estimated 1,100 people are behind bars based on evidence she handled. One theory, voiced by Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, is that …
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