Chemist from Massachusetts laboratory arrested due to allegedly faking tests
October 17, 2012 2:29 pm Leave your thoughts
A Massachusetts-based drug testing laboratory has been in the midst of a scandal ever since one chemist was allegedly found to have faked tests and procedures in serious criminal cases, according to the Associated Press.
Annie Dookhan, 34, was arrested after being accused of forging paperwork and mixing samples in a police drug laboratory. In fact, her potential involvement in faking drug tests led to the Hinton State Laboratory Institute to be shut down altogether. Three other officials stepped down after the incident, which included the Massachusetts public health commissioner.
Because Dookhan handled more than 60,000 drug samples, it is possible that as many as 34,000 defendants over the last nine years may have been wrongfully convicted. Because of this misconduct, lawyers from various different criminal trials are attempting to bring their cases to court once again. Also, more than 1,000 prisoners are expected to be released due to Dookhan's mishandling of the drug samples.
"I think it’s rather tragic … that she finds herself in the same position as the people she was testifying against," Attorney John Martin, who represented one of the defendants in Massachusetts, told the news source. "I hope the system isn’t treating the evidence against her the way she treated the evidence against several thousand defendants."
Businesses that wish to avoid such scandals will need to ensure they hire trustworthy employees as well as provide training in all work matters. For instance, hospitals also lose public acceptance if they commit data breaches and violate the HIPAA law.
This means that all companies need to have security measures in place, such as encryptions on laptops, computers, smartphones, tablets and any other devices that hold private business information. Companies in Arizona that need further information on employment practices and security measures should contact a Phoenix business attorney.
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