diff --git a/src/label.c b/src/label.c
index 84cee51..fb8c266 100644
--- a/src/label.c
+++ b/src/label.c
@@ -86,6 +86,7 @@
 	rec->validating = selabel_is_validate_set(opts, nopts);
 
 	if ((*initfuncs[backend])(rec, opts, nopts)) {
+		free(rec->spec_file);
 		free(rec);
 		rec = NULL;
 	}
@@ -161,6 +162,7 @@
 void selabel_close(struct selabel_handle *rec)
 {
 	rec->func_close(rec);
+	free(rec->spec_file);
 	free(rec);
 }
 
diff --git a/src/label_file.c b/src/label_file.c
index b75c02a..9d0a54c 100644
--- a/src/label_file.c
+++ b/src/label_file.c
@@ -492,6 +492,8 @@
 	return rc;
 }
 
+static void closef(struct selabel_handle *rec);
+
 static int init(struct selabel_handle *rec, const struct selinux_opt *opts,
 		unsigned n)
 {
@@ -543,7 +545,8 @@
 
 finish:
 	if (status)
-		free(data->spec_arr);
+		closef(rec);
+
 	return status;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/label_file.h b/src/label_file.h
index 7f53ea7..035315d 100644
--- a/src/label_file.h
+++ b/src/label_file.h
@@ -278,6 +278,7 @@
 	}
 	data->stem_arr[num].len = stem_len;
 	data->stem_arr[num].buf = buf;
+	data->stem_arr[num].from_mmap = 0;
 	data->num_stems++;
 
 	return num;
@@ -425,6 +426,18 @@
 	/* process and store the specification in spec. */
 	spec_arr[nspec].stem_id = find_stem_from_spec(data, regex);
 	spec_arr[nspec].regex_str = regex;
+
+	spec_arr[nspec].type_str = type;
+	spec_arr[nspec].mode = 0;
+
+	spec_arr[nspec].lr.ctx_raw = context;
+
+	/*
+	 * bump data->nspecs to cause closef() to cover it in its free
+	 * but do not bump nspec since it's used below.
+	 */
+	data->nspec++;
+
 	if (rec->validating &&
 			    compile_regex(data, &spec_arr[nspec], &errbuf)) {
 		selinux_log(SELINUX_ERROR,
@@ -435,9 +448,6 @@
 		return -1;
 	}
 
-	/* Convert the type string to a mode format */
-	spec_arr[nspec].type_str = type;
-	spec_arr[nspec].mode = 0;
 	if (type) {
 		mode_t mode = string_to_mode(type);
 
@@ -451,8 +461,6 @@
 		spec_arr[nspec].mode = mode;
 	}
 
-	spec_arr[nspec].lr.ctx_raw = context;
-
 	/* Determine if specification has
 	 * any meta characters in the RE */
 	spec_hasMetaChars(&spec_arr[nspec]);
@@ -467,8 +475,6 @@
 		}
 	}
 
-	data->nspec = ++nspec;
-
 	return 0;
 }