A federal audit revealed a large number of court records, up to 80%, sent to federal prisons have mistakes in them. . Prison cell .According to Blacklock’s Reporter, this investigation was started because a drug trafficker from BC was mistakenly released in 2017 due to a typing error..“It is important that all errors in court documents are being tracked, monitored and reported regularly to management,” said the Correctional Service of Canada audit. .“Frequent reporting will allow management to accurately measure the average amount of time staff spends correcting these errors.”.According to auditors, mistakes were common in the paperwork used to track how long federal inmates were sentenced and when they would be eligible for parole..“Management has stated approximately 75% to 80% of warrants contain errors,” said the Audit of Sentence Management. .“These errors or clarification items are reported to national headquarters when critical. Otherwise, they are not tracked.”.“Sentence management staff interviewed in the regions all indicated there is a high number of legal and administrative errors in legal documents related to sentences, primarily in warrants of committal and court conviction transcripts that require frequent follow-up with the court for correction of clarification,” wrote auditors. .“These follow-ups reduce the amount of caseloads that staff are able to complete.”.The audit was prompted by the mistaken release of Jarrod Bacon in 2017, a convicted drug trafficker and member of the Bacon Brothers crime family of Abbotsford, BC..Bacon was accidentally freed with 16 months remaining in his sentence. Prison managers blamed a typo in the files..Auditors said prison managers still rely on paper records and that “court decisions that have an impact on an offender’s sentence are not always received” on time. .“Moving towards a more electronic database would benefit file management,” said the report..After the Bacon incident, auditors found management was instructed to thoroughly review all inmates' files within six months of arrival. .The goal was to “ensure that all required documents are maintained in the file and the sentence structure is accurate.” A random review found 7% of files went unchecked..“It is important,” wrote auditors, adding keeping accurate records “will reduce the Correctional Service’s exposure to civil liability and the risk of jeopardizing public safety through unlawful release or detention of offenders.”.“The purpose of sentencing is to protect society,” said the report. .Avoiding paperwork errors would help in “separating offenders from society where necessary.”
