The state’s public defender agency estimates it could need up to $332 million to represent thousands of people who faced criminal penalties or civil sanctions based on evidence potentially tainted at the now-closed state drug laboratory in Jamaica Plain.
The Committee for Public Counsel Services developed the budget projection as it seeks money from the Patrick administration to deal with the fallout from the drug lab scandal linked to chemist Annie Dookhan, who allegedly told State Police she falsified results.
Comments
Wow. Makes that "big deal" election-killling attack on Governor Dukakis re: Willie Horton look silly! 10,000 people---plus the 1,000s connected to those 10,000 --parole officers, prison employees, members of law enforcement/prosecutors, families of both perps and victims.... Makes a mockery of the Commonwealth's justice system and its health and human service management.
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Is it really worth 1/3 billion $ to handle each case individually? I don't think so. Then there is the cost of keeping each person in jail -- what, maybe $50k a year? Just drop the original drug charges and if that's all there was then let them out of jail. Put the money into something else that would be of more benefit to the people of Massachusetts.
Agreed. A rational person would cherry pick the cases, looking to keep dangerous, career felons behind bars and giving everyone else a pass.
Good going Patrick - this should come out of his own pocket for gross negligence and direliction of duty. The $332 million should not cost the taxpayer a dime.
I'll bet it will cost more in the end but don't worry most of it will go to some politically connected employee with a GED in a position that requires a masters degree. Now on to the Pharmarcy scandal where the real costs are going to be-wait till the law suits roll in against the state on that one!
Geeze, who'd have thunk that lax oversight of the lab, and poor management within, could have led to such a mess! Kind of like a business owner not buying fire insurance and then having their business burn down. Hmm, guess I should have bought insurance after all! Glad that those in power were so shortsighted not to see that a crime lab operating the way this one did could lead to innocent people being imprisoned and career felons being freed due to suspected tainted evidence. The level of poor judgement is mindboggling!
The public is totally unaware of the low standards of operation within state departments and even worse _ the truth is that Managers choose to ignore the big issues of total incompetence BECAUSE the Managers are the ones with little or no background qualifications for the staff they are supervising!!!! Many don't care or want to know - imagine bribes for licesnses, regulatory management ignoring gross unsanitary practices observed by their staff auditing laboratories; deaths from neglect & failure to supervise in nursing homes; over prescribing psychotrophic drugs to the elderly in state nursing homes, and the list goes on, and on.
One angle you can expect the media NOT to cover is whether Ms. Dookhan's hiring was not based on the pursuit of excellence but on affirmative action and the desire for diversity. Excellence should be the greater good we pursue. Diversity will emerge from the honest pursuit of excellence.
Hiring practices within the Massachusetts state government are very questionable: very little movement up _ because the management jobs all require references from Deval Patrick's campaign staff or at least one or more Politicians! No work experience required; no special education or any other qualifications . . . but approval from Jean Pointikas can get you placed on a DPH Board to develop state health policy.
Too few staff and incompetent management costs big dollars = poor staff morale, unsafe practices, deaths, lack of employee integrity . . . Anyone know if there is such a Department of Human Services in the Massachusetts Government that is responsible for hiring new employees?
OR - are all state employees hired through 'word of mouth' and references from politicians.
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Is there a way to deal with the problem without the incredible cost? Suggestion, however wild: Since the drug Lab is so much now under suspicion for its gross incompetency, then the possibility that most or all of the cases could be held suspect . Then the need to examine each case, while innocent people rot in jail, waiting for their case to be examined and the State pouring more of tax payers' money down the hopper, would be unnecessary. Suggestion: Just release all drug related cases and put them alll on probation. Increase the probation staff if necessary. If an accused druggie shows promise, then let the probation officer determine if he can be released from probation.
Slight correction: "Then the possibiilty IS that etc. Another suggestion to the Globe: The London Times allows five minutes for each commentator to edit their mistakes after posting. As with the Globe, the posted text is in large letters making corrections easier.