BOSTON (WHDH) - The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office is planning to vacate drug convictions for anyone whose tests were handled by a notorious state lab over the course of nearly a decade — which could affect tens of thousands of defendants, the DA’s office said.
In a motion filed Monday, DA Rachel Rollins said she would create the Hinton Lab Initiative to vacate convictions of people whose drug certifications were performed at that state laboratory between May 2003 and August 2012. Chemist Annie Dookhan was convicted of tampering with evidence during that time and more than 7,800 cases were vacated by a 2017 ruling according to a press release from the DA’s office.
But the statewide lab made nearly 75,000 other drug certifications for Suffolk County cases during that time, according to the DA’s office. A certification can be used for multiple defendants and a single defendant can have multiple certifications, so it is unknown how many cases were involved, but Rollins’ office said her proposal could affect tens of thousands of defendants.
“The time has come to fully address the impact of systemic misconduct in the Hinton Lab. In doing so, the Commonwealth embraces the high standard that our Constitution requires…It may never be early enough to address such egregious and systemic misconduct, but it is never too late to rectify the injustice suffered by so many individuals,’’ the filing states. “The Commonwealth, therefore, intends to collaborate with the defense bar to identify a global resolution for any controlled substance conviction resulting from any analysis conducted at the Hinton Lab between May 1, 2003 and August 30, 2012.”
Rollins said she would hold a summit next month to identify defendants and review cases, and if their sentences are vacated, defendants’ convictions could also be expunged. The proposal only affects drug charges and not other charges the defendants may face or have been convicted for.
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