Number of prison escapes lowest in more than a decade

More people are being imprisoned in New Zealand and they are staying behind bars.

The number of escapes from prisons was the lowest in more than a decade, according to the Department of Corrections magazine Corrections News.

The number of escapes had fallen 78 per cent in the last 10 years to around 20 a year .

Although prison numbers rose 7 per cent in the 2005/2006 year, the number of escapes of all types was up one to 20. In 1996/97 there were nearly 90 escapes.

Corrections defined three types of escape. The traditional breach of the outermost perimeter fence was termed a breakout escape, while failure to return from temporary release made up a second category.

Prisoners who simply walked away, or who escaped while under escort were counted as other escapes.

Corrections credited the decline in all escapes to investment in better fences, a clampdown on cellphones with cameras and working closely with prisoners to identify personal problems likely to trigger an escape.

"In the last decade, there have been significant developments in prison security and we've built enhanced perimeter fences that incorporate better detection features," said Karen Urwin, the department's manager of national security systems and security.

No prison ever has no escapes, she said.

Security had to be constantly evaluated as concealed cellphones with cameras had made it easier for prisoners to make escape arrangements with people on the outside. A lot of effort went into preventing prisoners from access to such phones.

In 2005 Corrections spent $4.1 million to detect contraband, including cellphones.

Staff worked closely with prisoners to identify and address problems within the prison or outside, such as relationship breakups, so that prisoners were less likely to escape.

- NZPA