Prisoners released early due to Software Bug forced back to prison to carry out remaining term

[NovusBal]

http://www.eteknix.com/software-bug-releases-thousands-us-prisoners-early/

 

The bug was introduced back in 2002, as part of an update to make the system conform to a new court ruling regarding the application of good behavior credits. The most disturbing part is that the bug was discovered in 2012, and the Washington Department of Corrections (DoC) made aware of it by the family of a victim which discovered the offender was getting out of jail early. It remained relatively ignored at the time until a new boss of IT for the DoC realized the true severity of the issue. At a press conference, Jay Inslee, Washington’s governor stated, “That this problem was allowed to continue for 13 years is deeply disappointing to me, totally unacceptable and, frankly, maddening.”

 

So from this it is said that the bug was actually found, however, they did not look into fixing this immediately, for what reason they did not? I can't figure that out myself, it seems a bit idiotic. However, with the new appointed "boss" of IT came along and actually pointed out the flaw was serious, and to have it plugged immediately.

 

An analysis shows that the average amount of time that prisoners with miscalculated sentences got released early was 49 days. There were outliers, however, with one prisoner having had 600 days cut from his sentence. Those prisoners who were released early would have to return to prison to see out the correct remainder of their sentence, even those who have been released for a considerable period. Five prisoners have already been returned to jails, with state police working to see that all those who need to return to their cells do so.

 

Alright, so there will be mixed opinions on this for obvious reasons. Prisoners have been made to come back and carry out the remainder of their sentence even though the issue did happen to this neglected issue. Although my personal feelings say that they should have to return to carry it out, I do feel that there should be some sort of time removed from the sentence for compensation of what happened here, although that is my own opinion.

 

So what is everyone's thoughts? Do you think this is acceptable? I do not, this should not have happened, or for that fact, be ignored for so long to the point a newly appointed staff has to point the issue out to get it properly dealt with.

[Bouzoo]

This sounds like a brilliant prison break scheme. Just imagine if someone implemented the bug so someone  else could be freed earlier. And that person runs away and is never seen again.

[aneil1998]

You would expect that software used by prisons would be thouroughly tested to prevent stuff like this.

 

And yes, I know that no software is perfect.

[ADZ_123_!"£]

So people can now hack there way out of prisons?

[ivan134]

Lol, quite a few dumb dumbs voting in this pole. Why exactly should they be compensated for a bug?

[TriviaBeast]

You know some of those guys were like "@$!# you and your toilet wine sucked" then get the same cell mate again. They got trolled.

[Sauron]

A bug in the system doesn't make the inmates any less guilty or potentially dangerous... it's not like they got a worse treatment than the others, in fact one could argue that having spent a couple of years out of prison before the end of the sentence is a huge bonus. The only exceptions I could think of are the guys who got released first and behaved well for upwards of 10 years, meaning they are clearly not a danger to society anymore.

[spartaman64]

i dont think prisoners that went out and already started with their new life without any criminal offense should be put back disrupting their life

[Miguel Batista]

i dont think prisoners that went out and already started with their new life without any criminal offense should be put back disrupting their life

Totaly agree. This should be done on a case by case basis. I mean, they could have jobs by now, family et al. It was not tgeir mistake nor tgeir responsability.

[patrick3027]

Bringing them back to jail for 49 days is not only useless but also a waste of tax payers money.

I say: if their prison sentence has been cut short by less than 90 days, leave them alone.

EDIT: or what the post above me says, even better

[Toddwjp]

on average 49 days, hell just let em off, call it a christmas present.

 

the one with longer sentence cutting eg 100 days plus should probably have a case by case assessment were if they have fitted back into society they should be allowed off or given probation or something for the rest of the time.

[Centurius]

Heads should roll for the bug and the neglect but the convicts should also sit their full remaining sentences out.

[EChondo]

Personally it's the prison's fault for this and the early released prisoners should remain out of jail.

 

I supposedly pay the prisons with my tax dollars so shit like this doesn't happen, so I would rather the prisons be fined/reprimanded than have prisoners just go back to fulfill their remaining 49-600 days of sentencing from now to over a decade ago(or is there a limit to who goes back after X years?).

 

This should not have happened, and when it did, it should have been fixed immediately, even if it meant rewriting the whole system.

[Arty]

Depends on the crime.

Killers OBS shouldl be sent back.

[Megahurt]

Let them be free, but add what they got cut from their sentence to the next time they go to jail. It's hard enough for people who get out of jail to find a job or place to live, if they managed to do that, sending them back to jail would only hinder their chance of becoming a productive member of society again.

[zacRupnow]

Alright I voted that the shouldn't have to serve the remaining sentence but I would have preferred you had the option "The remaining sentence should be removed or shortened based on the crime."

[christianled59]

A bug in the system doesn't make the inmates any less guilty or potentially dangerous... it's not like they got a worse treatment than the others, in fact one could argue that having spent a couple of years out of prison before the end of the sentence is a huge bonus. The only exceptions I could think of are the guys who got released first and behaved well for upwards of 10 years, meaning they are clearly not a danger to society anymore.

Considering the average remaining time was 49 days, I'm sure their overall sentences weren't that long to begin with. Logically, I'd assume these people weren't arrested for being "dangerous". More likely they were in possession of drugs. Considering its been so long since their release, and not a single one of them has had their name back on the radar, I believe it's save to assume they refitted themselves with society and aren't a potential threat. Only one I could even consider being a thread would be the guy who still owes 2 years, but 2 months? Come on. That's a misdemeaner in Christmas for no reason. Extremely inconvenient. If the prison never made the mistake, they would have already had their sentence paid and be free, but instead their Christmas is ruined where it would have otherwise not have been.

[MrDynamicMan]

Lol, quite a few dumb dumbs voting in this pole. Why exactly should they be compensated for a bug?

say a guy has been released for the past ~8 years on possession, has reformed, got married, started his life again. The had to go serve 4 months because of a 13 year old glitch?

[MrDynamicMan]

Depends on the crime.

Killers OBS shouldl be sent back.

A murder SHOULDNT get anything less than life.

EDIT:FTFM

[ericlee30]

its unlikely that a murder would get anything less than life.

 

What? Ive seen people get less then a year for murder and most of the time as long as its not capital murder or if you are convicted of multiple or mass murder, the average time for murder is 7 years.Less time then someone that gets caught manufacturing methamphetamine.

 

 

I had a friend that got a 11/29 sentence ( 11 months 29 days ) for stabbing a GI to death. Long story short, in the town I used to live in (a College town), outside of that college town was/is a Military base, the Gi's like to come into town and go to the bars. One night Skyler( the friend that committed the crime) my cousin and I all went to a bar that was around were Skyler lived. As we were all going home, My cousin and I got into my car and drove home, Skyler walked home. There were some Gi's behind the bar building smoking and joking around, when Skyler passed them, one of the them started picking on him, that Gi pushed and slapped Skyler around. Skyler went home and got a knife and came back and stabbed the Gi and killed him.

 

At Skyler's trial, they said that the Gi had a counseled weapon ( firearm on him when the cops arrived ) and was in the back of his pants, because of that, Skyler got a self defense charge and only served 9 months in total on his sentence because the state law were I used to live only requires you to serve 85% of your time as long as you stay out of trouble while you are incarcerated. In some sates, they only require you to serve 65% of your sentence.

[ericlee30]

Double posted, sorry

[MrDynamicMan]

Oops

[Misanthrope]

A bug in the system doesn't make the inmates any less guilty or potentially dangerous... 

 

Neither does completing an arbitrary, useless sentence.

[Sauron]

Neither does completing an arbitrary, useless sentence.

 

Who says it was arbitrary or useless? Usually people are in jail for a reason. Would you say 20 years to a murderer is arbitrary or useless?

[Guest Kloaked]

This thread title is cancer