Fyles says there’s been no escape from prison last financial year only abscondments

DESPITE nine inmates fleeing from custody last financial year Minister for Justice Natasha Fyles has said there was not a single escape

Minister for Justice Natasha Fyles may not realise absconded also means escaped.

CORRECTIONS Minister Natasha Fyles says there have been no “escapes” from Territory prisons in the past year — but admits prisoners have “absconded” on nine occasions.

Ms Fyles said inmates, such as Shaun Liddle who fled on Friday from the Darwin prison’s horticultural centre, were outside the fence and therefore had not “escaped”.

“It’s important to point out that last year there were no escapes, so the last year few years we’ve only seen one or two escapes per a year going right back to those 2013/14 figures,” she said.

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Speaking on Mix 104.9 Ms Fyles said the weekend’s incident would be investigated by corrections staff.

“I can assure Territorians that following each incident the department fully investigates and adjusts their protocols and procedures,” Ms Fyles said.

“The community safety is paramount and all efforts are made to avoid any type of escape or abscondment.”

She said abscondments were the result of prisoners working outside the prison gate and therefore could not be classified as an escape.

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She said prisoners were let out beyond the fence for work programs, which are designed to upskill them and help to reintegrate back into society when their time has been served.

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“This is something that happens and we know that people that have done the wrong thing they go to prison and serve their time and we know that if we support them to integrate we have better outcomes.

“If somebody is a risk to the community they are kept behind the wire, they can participate in programs that are within the prison precinct.” she said.

“Prisoners aren’t necessarily all kept behind the wire we do have the Barkly Work Camp and the Datjala Work Camp Nhulunbuy they have to have a lower security rating.”