New Year's Mistake: Victims Accidentally Told That Prisoners Were Released

(Mis)Uses of Technology

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?