The Department of Corrections works hard to improve the security of its prisons. All escapes are investigated thoroughly, with the findings reviewed by Corrections’ Assurance Board, which maintains professional oversight of the internal audit and inspectorate functions. In addition, individual prisons act swiftly to review and improve security following any escape.
The rate of escapes from prison has been steadily declining in recent years. Over this time, Corrections has introduced a number of operational and security improvements to help minimise escapes.
Escapes are often driven by the need to see family members or resolve external issues1 . Another reason for escaping is problems accepting the sentence and the prison environment2 .
Escapes fall into several categories:
• Break out – where a prisoner breaches the security of and leaves a prison, court complex or other place of custodial control. For example, forced exit from prison or escape from custodial staff, or by escaping while under the direct control of a corrections officer.
• Non-return from temporary release – where a prisoner does not return to prison at the appointed time following temporary release.
• Other escapes – other escapes include walkaway escapes, where a low security prisoner breaches trust by walking away from their supervision and escapes while under escort, where a prisoner escapes while under the control and supervision of officers during escorted outings, such as to and from court.
In the event of an escape, Police are notified immediately and prison management also takes steps to ensure key people within the surrounding community are notified. The risk for prison neighbours is generally very low as escapees aim to leave the area as quickly and as unobtrusively as possible.
All escapes are investigated by prison management. When a prisoner is recaptured, staff interview the prisoner to find out the reasons for their escape. This information is used to ensure security breaches and any other factors are addressed to prevent a repeat occurrence.
Corrections’ Internal Audit investigates all break out escapes and where there appears to be a serious breach of procedure. Once the investigation is complete, a report is prepared for the Assurance Board, which directs any further action that may be needed.
While escapes are a reality for most prison jurisdictions around the world, implementing measures to prevent escapes is a priority for Corrections. Establishing and maintaining a secure environment at prisons is achieved by a combination of management practices and physical security features and systems. These practices and systems reflect the level of risk related to the prisoners’ security classifications.
Staff at every prison regularly check custodial procedures and systems for operational risk, including escape risk. Prison managers ensure identified risk is mitigated by putting new procedures in place.
Ongoing investment in staff training and development helps staff to recognise the symptoms leading up to escapes and prevent them by dealing with prisoner issues. Staff work closely with prisoners to identify problems within the prison or outside (such as a relationship break-up) so that they can be dealt with appropriately, without resorting to escaping. Assistance may also come from prisoners’ case officers, chaplains and prisoner support organisations such as the New Zealand Prisoners’ Aid and Rehabilitation Society.
Another initiative to minimise escapes is Corrections’ regional prisons programme, under which new corrections facilities are being constructed in Northland, North Waikato and Otago. A new women’s corrections facility for the Auckland region is also under construction. By accommodating as many prisoners as possible closer to their home areas, they are able to see their families more often. This creates the most stable social environment possible, and makes it less likely prisoners will feel the need to escape to sort out problems at home.
Some of the reasons for escapes can be attributed to the need for better perimeter security or to faults in operational practices.
Improvements to physical security and incorporating an appropriate level of security technology at all prisons is ongoing. These may include constructing a secure perimeter fence with a single point of entry to prison buildings, centralised security management and entry control, and an appropriate mix of physical barriers, detection, surveillance and lighting systems.
The most recent information on escape rates in New Zealand prisons can be found in Corrections’ latest annual report.
1 Department of Corrections and Ministry of Justice report: Escape Pressures – Inside views of the reasons for prison escapes, June 1996, pp13.
2 Department of Corrections and Ministry of Justice report: Escape Pressures – Inside views of the reasons for prison escapes, June 1996, pp11.