Tens of thousands on prison inmates all throughout Massachusetts who have been convicted of an offense due to the result of drug test monitored by one state scientist may soon challenge these convictions in court.
In the beginning of the month, the Supreme Judicial Court passed a down a unanimous decision that will allow people who were imprisoned based on evidence that was used by state chemist Annie Dookhan to petition the courts for a new hearing without being in a compromising position that could add more severe penalties. Dookhan confessed to tinkering with and falsifying evidence that ruined various amounts of cases.
“It clears a path for people to challenge—when I say, people, I say thousands, maybe tens of thousands of people—to challenge their convictions without fear that prosecutors will respond by seeking to revive harsher charges or harsher sentences that were relinquished in a plea bargain,” stated Matthew Segal, the legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts.
It is uncertain whether or not that Dookhan, who pleaded guilty back in 2013 to countless charges, involving obstruction of justice, perjury and messing with evidence, never provided drug samples the appropriate testing prior to sending positive confirmation to prosecutors. For almost 10 years, Dookhan is said to have played a hand in the corrupting the criminal justice system by forging signatures, mishandling samples and falsified information about her qualifications.
Documents indicate that over 300 of “Dookhan’s Defendants” have previously ha their convictions overturned and have been released from jail. However, most of the individuals who stand to profit off the recent decision have already served their time and are currently living under the strain of a fake conviction. The individuals will now have a chance to apply for post-conviction relief and to do so without being scared of gaining additional punishment.
So pretty much, the worst possible outcome is that the defendant will not have his or her conviction thrown out. There will be no added jail time or probationary measures will be imposed. Though, some prosecutor’s are worried that the court’s current decision will provide criminals an unjustifiable second chance.
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