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Software Error Releases Up To 3,200 Inmates Early (seattletimes.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Governor Jay Inslee announced Tuesday that software used by the Washington Department of Corrections has been making mistakes in calculating sentences since 2002, resulting in thousands of inmates leaving prison early. Corrections officials learned of a problem in 2012. A patch to fix the faulty software will be implemented next month. Here's how the bug happened: When people are convicted of a crime, they're given a base sentence. On top of that, there can be extra periods of time — for example, using a firearm might add five years on top of the base sentence. While in prison, inmates can earn time off their sentence for good behavior or participating in work/education programs — but it can only apply to their base sentence. The software involved applied the inmates' good behavior credits to each section of their sentence. The Corrections Department is now trying to track down released inmates to make some of them finish their terms.
The Corrections Department is now trying to track down released inmates to make some of them finish their terms.
Wow... How fucking maliciously vindictive and petty can Uncle Sam get?
"Yeah, good job getting your life back together, congrats on landing that new job - Now get back in the goddamned cage."
They should fight it out in court before going back in demand a trail before the can be put back in to prison.
Can they do that after they've been released?
Why not just leave these people alone? Why as a taxpayer am I being forced to re-incarcerate anyone?
It's bad enough that we have this many people in jail to begin with. Who exactly does re-incarcerating people benefit? Most jails in America are overpopulated to begin with, and now... we want to put more people in?
Software issue or not, this is stupid.
This signature has Super Cow Powers
Seriously? We're going to track down people who've likely served years in prison just so they can serve (on average) another 55 days? This is incredibly idiotic. Here's why:
It's expensive to put people back in prison.
Anyone who has a job would likely lose their job when they have to serve another month in prison. Thus making their life MORE unstable, and creating more crime. This is the exact opposite of what our prison system is supposed to do.
It was the states stupid error in the first place, and no fault of the former inmate.
The software involved applied the inmates' good behavior credits to each section of their sentence
So we're going to have to refactor the code to include subroutines and functions that support the US criminal justice systems perogative of biblical retribution it seems. For those worried about the inmates released, you can sleep soundly tonight knowing they are barred from most forms of employment, voting, public assistance, loans, and education grants after being released under the auspices that they are now rehabilitated. homeless shelters will also refuse service in many cases to convicted felons. So thanks to this system the only thing an early release ensures is an early re-incarceration due to a life-by-default of petty theft and drug trade.
Good people go to bed earlier.
With what money are they going to hire a lawyer to do that?
Good luck with that. The Marshal Service is just going to show up and put them in handcuffs; it's not going to be a discussion. You can't get justice once you're in the system... and apparently not once you're out, either.
It's almost as if you can hire people to test your software to make sure MAJOR problems like this don't sneak through. This is not an obscure memory leak, which lead to a date error causing a segfault, this is a MAJOR requirement being mis-implemented, which I'm sure is just as much on the requirements level as it is on the coding level.
The tough on crime crowd, also known as the board of directors of for-profit prisons, has done a fine job of kneecapping public defenders. To the point that in some areas they have as little as 15 minutes on average to dedicate to a particular case. As such people who can't afford a private lawyer are told to just plead guilty and take whatever leniency the judge feels like granting that day, even if there is clear cut evidence of their innocence. Add in mandatory minimums and you get a nice steady stream of easy convicts the prisons rake in profit from.
I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!
The article gives a little more insight than the headline.
There will be a one for one standard - those who have remained crime-free for 10 days, for example, will be excused for 10 days of sentence.
But, those who were released 600 days early have to go in and finish their time.
Once you are caught and sentenced, that's it. Do the time. If you don't behave in prison, you get MORE time.
How about we get rid of time based sentences period? You're sentenced, not to X years, but to a program that must be completed. Which program you end up in depends on your crime and circumstances.
Say you're a high school dropout caught breaking into cars to steal shit to feed your drug habit. You get 'sentenced' to an education and drug treatment program. Once you've gotten your GED and completed rehab, you're released.
On the other hand, take a high school graduate gang banger dealer. That sentencing might be to an anti-gang course and trade school/associates degree. Bust your ass, out in a year. Don't bother? You could be there for the next 20...
Come back? Well, next step up in the program - much more difficult.
I don't read AC A human right