ACCUSED RAPIST ACCIDENTALLY RELEASED FROM JAIL, VICTIM IN PROTECTIVE CUSTODY

September 19, 2019
Jeffery Martin
Newsweek

A man accused of kidnapping and rape was accidentally released from Fulton County Jail in Georgia today, leaving his victim in fear for her life.
According to WSB in Atlanta, Justin Jackson allegedly kidnapped his child's mother and tortured her for three days. In an interview, the victim said she was the one who alerted law enforcement that Jackson was out.
"They didn't even know he was out until I contacted them," the woman said. "That really hurts."
Chief Deputy Mark Adger says the case management system is to blame for Jackson's release. The last order the jail saw in its computer was that the charges against Jackson had been dropped. But District Attorney Paul Howard blames the jail for not confirming the status of defendants before setting them free.
"Well, when you point one finger at us, you're pointing three fingers back at yourself," Adger told reporters.
Howard says that his office spoke to a jail official who saw Jackson listed on the computer system as indicted with no bond. That official said Jackson should not have been released.
As deputies search for Jackson, the victim is protective custody. "I'm, like, terrified for my life," she said. As of this writing, the search for Jackson continues.
Justin Jackson, charged with rape and kidnapping, was accidentally released from Fulton County Jail today WSB/Fulton County Jail
The accidental release of prisoners is more common than it should be. In March of this year, the South Carolina Department of Corrections confirmed the inadvertent release of 10 prisoners over a two-year period. Most of the inmates were serving sentences for illegal drugs, while others had been charged with burglary and domestic violence.
The inmates were due to be eligible for release only after serving 85 percent of their sentences. However, the time served was miscalculated and the inmates were released. The public was never informed of the accidental release, although the victims of the crimes were told.
"Out of 9,000 to 10,000 inmates who are released each year, 10 were released early. It was human error. That's not an excuse. That's an explanation," State Senator Katrina Shealy said of the incident.
An inmate in Wisconsin, Zachary Friedlander, unsuccessfully claimed that he should have been given credit for time he spent outside of prison after being accidentally released. The incident happened during a prison transfer. Officers at the inmate's new jail were not informed.
According to courthousenews.com, Friedlander kept his scheduled meeting with his probation officer, who never told him to return to jail. However, the Wisconsin Supreme Court decided that since Friedlander was not considered to be in custody, he was not due any kind of sentence credit.
In North Carolina, Shawndell Futrell was released from the Wake County Detention Center because of a clerical error. Another inmate, who shared Futrell's last name, was due to be released. Instead, Shawndell was let go.
After a search for Futrell, he was captured and returned the same day.

https://www.newsweek.com/accused-rapist-accidentally-released-jail-victim-protective-custody-1460315

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