Forgotten Prisoner Wins Early Release

Loretta Randley, who was jailed last year when prison officials discovered she never served a manslaughter sentence imposed 17 years ago, is free. Randley, 58, who was sentenced in 1981 to eight years in prison for the shooting death of her boyfriend, had her sentence commuted by a state clemency board in Tallahassee, Fla., to time served. Her lawyer argued that she essentially had served probation at home all those years. Because of a mix-up at the time--Randley was free on bail during her appeal--she was never taken to prison and continued to live quietly at home. But in May 1997, a tip led prison officials to Randley’s door, and off to prison she went.