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Audit: More Than 50 NM Inmates Released Early

A new audit has found that more than 50 inmates were mistakenly released early from New Mexico prisons largely due to miscalculations.

The New Mexico Corrections Department released Wednesday a review of 6,900 inmate files and identified 51 offenders who were incorrectly released early between September 2010 and September 2012.

Names of those released early were not named since authorities were seeking to bring them back into custody.

Officials say the audit was "phase 1" of three massive reviews of inmate files.

Corrections Secretary Gregg Marcantel ordered the audit after a series of early releases were discovered and officials realized that a detailed inmate audit hadn't been conducted since 2006.

Besides the audit, Marcantel has launched a number of policy changes aimed at reducing mistakes.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.