KEY POINTS:
Failure to replace absent staff because of cost-cutting measures may have made it easier for remand prisoner Aaron Forden to escape from Mt Eden jail this week.
The 26-year-old, who has been behind bars since January on burglary and aggravated wounding charges, escaped on Monday morning by using bed sheets to climb down the prison's outer wall.
Forden was one of 60 inmates in the prison's northern wing, which should have been manned by at least four prison officers - one for every 15 inmates when they are not locked in their cells.
But the Herald has learned that on the morning of the escape only three wardens were at work, and two may have been needed to help with prisoner transfers, covering for others who were also absent.
As a result, there were not enough staff to carry out usual checks and Forden was able to get through a hatch and climb into a concrete ceiling cavity during the morning wash time.
His escape is one of several issues, including more frequent yard fights, now being attributed to a lack of staff at the prison because management allegedly don't want to pay overtime.
The Herald has been told that a directive issued last year said sick and absent staff should not be replaced on some shifts. It is estimated that up to $3 million has been saved since then.
Corrections Department northern regional manager Warren Cummins said no such directive was issued.
But he said a staff member was absent from Forden's wing on Monday, and it had been decided that there was sufficient staffing capacity in the prison to manage without replacing the warden.
"The internal review into the escape will consider all factors that may have contributed to the escape, including staffing levels," he said.
Corrections Association president Beven Hanlon said the union had had serious concerns about the lack of cover for absent staff for the past six to eight months.
Those concerns had been raised at weekly meetings with management, but nothing had been done to rectify the problem.
There are now fears that further escape attempts will be made unless something is done to keep staffing levels at the required ratio.
A staff member told the Herald Mt Eden was short-staffed almost every day.
On two recent occasions, a block that should be manned by eight staff had been down to three.
The staff member said a protocol set up for dealing with unplanned absences wasn't always followed by unit managers.
Monday was the perfect example of what could happen when a plan wasn't issued.
"It's not Toyworld or Farmers, we really do need the staff on the floor," said the staff member.
* The hunt for Forden continues. Police yesterday issued a new photograph of the 26-year-old, who now has closely cropped hair instead of the longish strawberry-blond hair shown in the first mugshot they released.
