In early 2005, Emily Owens was halfway through her Ph.D. thesis in economics at the University of Maryland. Her topic: the deterrence effect of long prison sentences. She had just received data from ...

DENVER (AP/CBS4) - Hundreds of Colorado criminals were apparently given erroneous prison sentences, and judges and corrections officials across the state are scrambling to keep them from getting out ...

OLYMPIA — Incorrect language on a court sentencing form improperly shaved off community supervision and treatment time for at least 73 Washington state sex offenders participating in a special program ...

WAILUKU — Saying he had been wrong to give a Makawao man a chance on probation three years ago, a judge sentenced the defendant Thursday to prison terms totaling 30 years for burglaries and theft.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee has ordered an independent investigation after six prisoners had to be “released immediately” from custody after errors in calculating their sentences were discovered.

Instead of a sentence in state prison, offenders in the program get a suspended sentence along with a mix of county jail time, treatment and community supervision. That can include visits with ...