In and Out of the Slammer

What a bummer to be released from jail, only to find out it was a mistake — and you'd have to go back. That's what happened to Sara Jane Olson, 61, a member of the terrorist group known as the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA). It's the latest episode in a decades-long drama she's had with the law, starting when she became involved in the seventies with the SLA, a radical organization in California that was responsible for bank robberies and other crimes. Back then, Olson (whose real name is Kathleen Soliah) disappeared from view, living for years under the name of Olson and raising three children (their lives are described in this Marie Claire article (opens in new tab)).

Her sentencing had long been disputed; experts couldn't agree on how long she was supposed to serve behind bars. Then, after six years at Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla, she was released last week…and then was told this weekend that she had to serve another year. It had been an "error," according to the agency's chief deputy secretary of adult operations. (opens in new tab) Whoops!