Boston residents to discuss lab scandal fallout

BOSTON (AP) -- Dozens of people are set to gather for a town hall meeting in Boston to hear civil rights activists, criminal justice advocates and attorneys discuss the impact of the state drug lab scandal that could lead to the release of hundreds of prisoners.

Chemist Annie Dookhan is accused of falsifying results at the now-closed state drug testing facility. Officials say she may have compromised 34,000 cases -- including 27,000 in Suffolk County which includes Boston's neighborhood of Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan. As many as 600 inmates in Suffolk County could be released.

Organizer Jamarhl Crawford says hundreds of people were expected to attend a town hall meeting Saturday afternoon in Roxbury.

Participants were set to discuss the implications of the scandal, redress for those affected and fears of mass releases of prisoners returning to the city.