Senate Panel Holds Hearing on DOC Investigation

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — A Senate panel is beginning its formal hearings into its inquiry into the erroneous early release of prisoners in Washington state. The Senate Law and Justice Committee released thousands of pages of documents gathered as parts of investigation, including emails from the state Department of Corrections related to a software coding error at the agency that led to the early release of up to 3,200 prisoners since 2002 because of miscalculated sentences. At least two deaths have been tied to the early releases. The committee planned to hear testimony from four people Monday: two DOC employees, a former assistant attorney general and a person who notified the agency of the error in 2012.