Absconds have fallen to less than half the levels they were 10 years ago while there have been no prison escapes so far this financial year compared to 10 to 20 escapes per year a decade ago. Escapes occur when prisoners unlawfully absent themselves from custody by overcoming a physical barrier or restraint. Absconds occur from open prisons when prisoners absent themselves without needing to overcome a physical barrier or restraint. Prisoners can escape from an open prison if they are being held temporarily in secure conditions within the open prison such as in segregation.
The following table shows the number of prisoners who have absconded from each open prison since 1997. In addition to the figures shown in this table, one prisoner escaped from HMP Thorn Cross in 1999.
1997-98 1998-99 1999-2000 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 Askham Grange 35 17 20 21 19 12 31 12 14 7 11 Blantyre House 1 — — — 1 1 — 1 1 — — Drake Hall 122 134 94 39 33 — 1 — — — — East Sutton Park 5 3 3 3 3 — 1 2 4 2 — Ford 53 40 68 57 57 91 142 110 96 62 47 Grendon/Springhill 20 9 14 14 12 23 60 36 34 11 21 Hatfield 77 80 36 34 50 56 — — — — — Hewell Grange 40 17 32 20 15 23 31 24 24 13 15 Hollesley Bay 13 25 11 24 8 14 36 32 16 21 19 Kirkham 234 202 171 169 163 208 213 120 74 54 65 Kirklevington — 2 — — — 1 — 4 2 — — Latchmere House 2 — — 1 2 1 — — — — — Leyhill 20 25 34 25 19 33 114 102 66 37 55 Moorland 1 1 — — — — 68 73 49 41 23 Morton Hall 20 15 23 6 — — — — — 1 — North Sea Camp 25 32 27 24 36 34 79 33 49 48 46 Norwich (resettlement unit) 2 — — — 1 — — 8 2 2 1 Standford Hill 35 36 43 29 37 83 89 39 58 38 44 Sudbury 81 75 63 69 81 68 75 77 76 78 55 Thorn Cross 168 135 147 110 135 152 130 90 105 82 68 Usk/Prescoed 7 13 19 14 5 8 35 19 9 9 8 Wealstun 48 70 72 105 79 101 144 74 28 46 32 Notes: 1. Colchester closed during 1998 2. Drake Hall changed role to Semi Open in 2001-02 from Open 3. Hatfield merged with Moorland in 2003-04 4. Kirklevington changed role to Semi Open in 2001-02 from Category C 5. Latchmere House changed role to Semi Open in 2001-02 from Open 6. Morton Hall changed role to Semi Open in 2001 -02 from Open 7. Norwich—Open Resettlement Unit
These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.
Figures on absconds and a range of other prison performance statistics are available at:
http://www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/abouttheservice/prisonperformance/performancestatistics/