The State crime lab in Massachussetts was shut down recently due to a scandal which has put the testing of 50,000 urine and blood samples for drugs and alcohol in doubt. The story is here and the problems go back to 2003. One analyst who worked in the lab for 9 years is being blamed for the problem. A police spokesman says “the investigation shows that the problems went beyond sloppiness and in some cases involved deliberately mishandling drug evidence.” That police officer went on to say, “We’ve responded quickly and affirmatively — in the course of less than a week we have shut down the lab, suspended two supervisors while the investigation is ongoing, determined the number of cases the chemist handled and provided that number to the DAs and defense bar, began a review of the lab operations, and continued our investigation into the chemist for potential criminality,” I am sure that the tens of thousands of people who were convicted of crimes, many which were no doubt serious felonies that resulted in many of them going to prison, are comforted by swift action 9 years after the faulty testing results began being introduced as evidence in courts.