More Than 3,000 Prisoners in Washington Were Released Early Thanks to a Software Glitch

A patch is expected by January of next year.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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An apparent software glitch has been revealed as gifting more than 3,000 prisoners with an early release in Washington, King 5 News reports. The computer error reportedly caused incorrect calculations of "good time" credit, an extensive fumble that dates all the way back to 2002.

"That this problem was allowed to continue for 13 years is deeply disappointing to me, totally unacceptable and, frankly, maddening," Washington Governor Jay Inslee said when announcing the glitch. State authorities were reportedly aware of the continuous error as recently as 2012, though necessary actions to halt the time calculation errors from persisting were "repeatedly delayed."

Following this revelation, the Department of Corrections has been ordered to pause any additional releases until each sentence is "hand-counted," which certainly sounds like a laborious process. Local officials estimate that the average number of days impacted prisoners were released early is 49 days, meaning some prisoners may be required to return and finish their respective sentences in some capacity.

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