<i>However in this case, this ended up saving tax payers money by having inmates released early.</i><p>I hear this a bit but it doesn&#x27;t seem include the cost of having criminals in the streets. At least some of them will re-offend and the sooner they&#x27;re released, the younger they will be, the likelier it is that they will. With a few months across 3500 people, it can add up.<p>Even if they commit a crime which you believe shouldn&#x27;t be a crime (some drug offence), they will consume a lot of resources while going through the legal system again.<p>Not to mention the legal mess this bug created that will need to be sorted out now. Highly doubtful that there were any savings here. Knowing the government operations, you&#x27;ll end up paying even more.