Wrong inmate accidentally released from Virginia jail even after he protests

Remember the scene in Monty Python’s Life of Brian, where the Roman Centurions ask their prisoners whether they want to opt for “freedom or crucifixion?”

In a strange way, a similar scene played out at a Virginia jail this past Monday.

Inmate James Lee was shocked when deputies told him he was being released from jail, some two weeks before his scheduled release date of March 28.

In the final weeks of a two-year sentence, Lee’s wife Denise says her husband repeatedly asked deputies if they had made a mistake.

“He said ‘Am I going to get into trouble because I am being released?’” Denise told WAVY News in Virginia.

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“They said, ‘You aren’t releasing yourself. We are releasing you because we know what we are doing.’”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "They said, 'You aren't releasing yourself. We are releasing you because we know what we are doing.'"

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Actually, it turns out that wasn’t quite the case. An administrative error caused Lee to be credited with 14 days worth of time served for good behaviour – a credit Lee lost after getting into a fight with another inmate at a previous correctional facility.

“Mr. Lee was released March 14, 2016 as scheduled, after being transferred from the Department of Corrections,” Newport News Sheriff Gabe Morgan said in a statement to media. “Because of an infraction prior to coming here, the DOC revoked 14 days of ‘good time’ it had given him for good behaviour.”

“Due to the infraction, that changed his release date to March 28, 2016. The classification clerk did not see the updated calculation and Mr. Lee was released based on his ‘good time’ calculation. Mr. Lee was notified and he returned to serve the remaining 14 days.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Due to the infraction, that changed his release date to March 28, 2016. The classification clerk did not see the updated calculation and Mr. Lee was released based on his 'good time' calculation. Mr. Lee was notified and he returned to serve the remaining 14 days."

Yes, that’s true: after being released from jail and relaxing with his wife Monday night, Lee was contacted by the jail and asked if he would kindly return and complete the remainder of his sentence, which Lee agreed to do.

“They told him they had made a mistake, and he would have to come in and finish his sentence,” Denise said.

Lee is serving a two-year sentence for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

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