NCJ Number
130894
Date Published
1989
Length
27 pages
Annotation
On the basis of a detailed study of the 811 prisoners who escaped from New South Wales gaols during the July 1983 to June 1989 period, an attempt is made to place the risk posed by escapees into perspective.
Abstract
The average escape rate for the 1974-1989 period was 4.3 escapes per every 100 prisoner years served. In the last four years, there has been an overall decrease in both the number and rate of escapes. The most marked decrease occurred in 1988-1989 following a policy revision regarding classification of escapees. The majority of escapes (68.4 percent) occurred from within minimum security institutions. Some prisoners (12.3 percent) classified as escapees had failed to return on time from an unescorted temporary absence from the gaol. A majority of escapees were assigned the lowest of the prisoner security classifications denoting the least risk to the public. Fifty percent of the escapees were recaptured within 8 days of their escape, and 74.2 percent were not convicted of committing any offenses while at large. Patterns of escape or characteristics of escapee vary from year to year, but there are no clear trends over time other than the decrease in numbers and rates of escape. 1 table, 8 references, and 1 appendix