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Dr. Harris Featured in Netflix Criminology Series
May 26, 2020 • Caitlin Burns
Dr. Heather Harris, assistant professor of Forensic Science, was featured in the Netflix documentary series “How to Fix a Drug Scandal.” The series explores the cases of Annie Dookhan and Sonja Farak, two forensic drug scientists who tampered with court evidence within their Massachusetts laboratories.
Dr. Harris offered insight into the cases, detailing the role that forensic chemists play in the criminal justice system, how the lab in Amherst violated numerous procedure protocols, and how the scandal could affect tens of thousands of court cases. Additionally, Dr. Harris provided layman definitions for terms such as “dry labbing,” which refers to when a scientist reports a plausible result for an experiment, but the experiment itself was never fully completed.
Dr. Harris instructs courses on forensic chemistry and trace evidence at the University.