In the state of Washington, more than 3,000 prisoners were released before the completion of the term of imprisonment due to a software glitch

(Photo: Sara D. Davis / Getty Images)

True, all this did not happen in one day. This is a problem that has been dragging on since 2002 . The fact is that the computer system, which is responsible for the calculation of the term of imprisonment and the “bonuses” that reduce this period, functions with problems. As a result, some prisoners receive too many bonuses, and are released earlier than planned. 3200 prisoners were freed earlier than they should have been since 2002. This is 3% of the total number of criminals in prisons in Washington State.

Now the state governor has decided that some prisoners who have been released too early should return to prison. Others will be allowed to remain at liberty on correctional labor. 5 criminals who have been released due to a system error have already returned to prison.

As already mentioned, the problem has been stretching since 2002. It was then that the state decided that prisoners could in some cases receive bonuses for good behavior, participation in rehabilitation programs, etc. These bonuses reduce imprisonment time. But the system was programmed incorrectly, and as a result, there are too many bonuses.
')
The problem became known in 2012, when the state authorities filed a complaint about the premature release of the offender. The complaint was filed by the family of the victim of the crime committed by this criminal. But almost 4 years have passed, and "things are still there." The state authorities have already postponed the system update several times, and only now officials paid close attention to the problem itself.

An update to fix the problem will be installed on January 7, 2016.