Jay Inslee admitted that the Washington Department of Corrections has been “making mistakes in calculating sentences for years, resulting in thousands of inmates leaving prison early.” According to the Seattle Times, corrections officials discovered the error in 2012. However, the state did not bother to implement a fix for it.
The error itself dates back to 2002 when the state Supreme Court ruled that the Department of Corrections (DOC) must apply “good time” credits earned in county jail to state prison sentences. The Seattle Times:
“A preliminary analysis by corrections officials indicates as many as 3,200 offenders may have been released early over the 13-year stretch. That‘s about 3 percent of all releases. Early estimates indicate the median number of days offenders were released from prison is 49 days before their correct release date.”
The DOC will halt the release of all prisoners whose sentences may have been impacted by the error until officials can ensure the offender is released at the correct date. Inslee has assured the public that the state is “working to locate offenders released early to ensure they complete their sentences.” Whether or not offenders would go to work release or back to prison is dependent on how much time they have left to serve.
Ladies and gentlemen, a look into the utter incompetence of our state government.
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