Nebraska mistakenly released hundreds of prison inmates over several years because corrections officials miscalculated their sentences, and law enforcement is seeking to re-incarcerate about two dozen of them, Gov. Dave Heineman said Friday.
Heineman said that the state let 306 inmates out of prison early because of the errors, which were first reported by the Omaha World-Herald earlier this month. Officials will not pursue the 257 who would have completed their sentences by now, assuming that they've stayed out of trouble. Three others have died since they were released, and five have successfully completed their parole.
"Obviously, there was a mistake made," Heineman, a Republican, said. "The individuals who made those mistakes are going to be held accountable. That's the next phase, after we complete this phase. ... There's no way this should have occurred."
The World-Herald report revealed that the Department of Correctional Services failed to follow two Nebraska Supreme Court rulings that spelled out the proper way to calculate prison sentences. Inmates who are ordered to serve a mandatory minimum sentence first have to complete that term before they start receiving "good time" credit, which cuts their remaining sentence in half.
An unspecified number of former inmates were returned to custody on Thursday as the prison roundup began. Arrest warrants were issued out of eight Nebraska counties, but state officials declined to name the former inmates out of concern for the safety of law enforcement officials who may have to re-arrest them. The Nebraska State Patrol was working with local and federal law enforcement.
Some former inmates qualify for furlough programs, and one is being paroled.Read the rest of the story HERE.
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