New Year's Mistake: Victims Accidentally Told That Prisoners Were Released
from the not-so-happy-new-years dept
A few months ago we wrote about some random computer glitches within the prison system that was letting some prisoners go early. Over in Ohio it appears they weren't letting prisoners go early, but there was a computer "upgrade" for the computer system that would call victims of criminals in prison to let them know when criminals who had wronged their families were released. Starting at noon on Friday, lots of people started receiving phone calls about freed prisoners, including at least one case of someone convicted of murder just a few years ago. The phone call recipients were none-to-pleased, but officials are working to reassure them that the calls were a mistake, and no one was actually released. Still, doesn't this seem like the sort of thing that should have someone check it before the computer just goes out and calls people?
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in thread ]