Report: A Software Flaw in Arizona Is Keeping People Behind Bars

Thousands of incarcerated people in Arizona have been kept behind bars by a software glitch, according to a report by KJZZ broadcast Monday. Anonymous whistleblowers from the Arizona Department of Corrections whistleblowers leaked details about the situation to the Phoenix NPR member station. Arizona has the fifth highest imprisonment rate in the country, and its incarcerated people are mostly nonviolent drug offenders. In 2019, the state Legislature passed a law aiming to change that by providing a way for nonviolent criminals to secure early release. For every seven days spent in a GED or substance abuse treatment program, an incarcerated person can shave three days off a sentence.