In a continuation of the prison audit that was ordered by Governor John Hickenlooper following the death of Colorado's corrections chief, authorities have uncovered possible errors in over half of the state's prison sentences.
The judicial department has determined that at least 129 court orders of the 694 cases they have reviewed need to be amended. Authorities have determined that 1,211 prisoners may have errors in their sentencing documents reducing their time behind bars, while 1,060 cases were determined to be acceptable.
The number is a notable increase from the 56 sentencing errors announced back on May 14 when the state-ordered audit was only a fraction of the way through.
"We are not the experts," DOC spokeswoman Alison Morgan told The Denver Post. "We believe those files merit judicial review."
For offenders, this can mean more prison time.
Larimer County District Attorney Cliff Riedel told The Coloradoan that at least two offenders who were convicted in his jurisdiction could find themselves behind bars to serve more time due to "a mistake made by the court."
Hickenlooper ordered the audit after it was revealed that Evan Ebel, the man suspected of killing Department of Corrections Chief Tom Clements, had left four years early because because the courts gave the prison system incorrect information about his proper sentence.
Ebel is suspected of also murdering pizza deliver driver Nathan Leon and shooting a Texas police officer before dying in a shootout with authorities in March.
The department of corrections has already reviewed 2,271 sentences and still has an additional 972 files to review.