Hundreds of Violent Calif. Inmates Freed by Mistake

California has been ordered to release tens of thousands of prisoners over the next two years to relieve overcrowding, but it's already failing to release inmates safely, according to the state's inspector general. Some 450 inmates "with a high risk of violence" were mistakenly released on unsupervised parole under a program that started early last year, reports the Los Angeles Times.

More than 1,000 other inmates likely to commit crimes against property or other offenses were also mistakenly released, estimates the inspector general, who reviewed a sample of case files. He blames the computer system used, which does not access an inmate's disciplinary record and is lacking conviction information for nearly half of the state's 16.4 million arrest records. The report "confirms my worst fears" about the unsupervised parole program, says the state lawmaker who requested the investigation. (More California stories.)