1st Anniversary of Prison Break Sees Progress.

By Mark Bevis on Thursday, June 3, 2004.

listen:

A YEAR AGO ON JUNE 4TH, THREE MEN BROKE OUT OF THE STATE PRISON IN CONCORD.

POLICE CAUGHT THEM IN MASSACHUSETTS A FEW DAYS LATER.

BUT THE ESCAPE POINTED OUT A NUMBER OF SECURITY PROBLEMS AT THE STATE'S LARGEST PRISON.

BUT AS NEW HAMPSHIRE PUBLIC RADIO'S MARK BEVIS REPORTS, MANY OF THOSE PROBLEMS HAVE SINCE BEEN TAKEN CARE OF.

KEVIN GILL, PHILIP DICK AND CHRISTOPHER MCNEIL CUT A FENCE LAST JUNE 4TH AND ESCAPED FROM A PRISON YARD.

SECURITY CAMERAS WEREN'T HOOKED UP.

THE GUARD TOWER OVERLOOKING THE YARD HAD NO GUARD.

AND THE PRISONERS WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE ASSIGNED TO THAT YARD IN THE FIRST PLACE.

PRISON SPOKESMAN JEFF LYONS.

mistakes were made and we've acknowledged that mistakes were made and we've learned from those mistakes and we're moving forward in providing for a safer institution.

BUT SAYS LYONS, SECURITY HAS TIGHTENED.

TAPE: our prison towers along the secure perimeter are staffed regularly we now have a better system to monitor prisoners who could be seen as escape risks, video cameras were installed and are now functioning along the secure perimeter. We've scaled back the number of hours prisoners can work in the industries program.

BUT THE PRISON SYSTEM, LIKE MOST OTHER STATE AGENCIES, HAS STAFFING PROBLEMS DUE TO BUDGET CUTS.

LYONS SAYS THE STATE PRISON IS DOWN ABOUT 8% IN TERMS OF GUARDS.

SO MOST GUARDS HAVE TO WORK OVERTIME.

THE SYSTEM IS ALSO SHORT TEACHERS AND MEDICAL PERSONELE

BUT REPRESENTATIVE DAVID WELCH FROM KINGSTON HAS SEEN IMPROVEMENT ACROSS THE BOARD.

WELCH CHAIRS THE HOUSE CRIMINAL JUSTICE COMMITTEE AND HEADED AN INVESTIGATION INTO LAST YEARS ESCAPE.

TAPE: I called it a terrible mess, but it's only a terrible mess until you start cleaning it up. And I think everyone there wants to solve problems, but over and above everyone wants it to get done and with that new commissioner over there it will get done.

WELCH IS REFERRING TO GOVERNOR BENSON'S NOMINATION OF ARMY GENERAL STEPHEN CURRY TO HEAD THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS.

CURRY HAS NOT YET BEEN CONFIRMED BY THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL.

BUT WELCH ADMITS ANOTHER PERRENNIAL PROBLEM FACING THE PRISON SYSTEM.

MONEY.

We can look at the Department of Corrections and say they failed to do this they failed to do that, but when it comes right down to it we failed to give them the resources to do it with. So we bear some responsibility and I hope we can straighten that out some time in the future.

(bevis) Any Chance?

(Welch laughs) well, not in this biennium.

BESIDES THE PROGRESS MADE AT THE PRISON, ANOTHER BRIGHT LIGHT MAY BE ON THE HORIZON.

RICK MINARD AT THE NEW HAMPSHIRE CENTER FOR PUBLIC POLICY STUDIES HAS BEEN WATCHING THE NUMBERS FOR THE PRISON POPULATION.

AND HE SEEING SOME GOOD TRENDS.

The prison population in NH is declining. People got so used to seeing the population grow year after year after year, that it's amazing it has finally reversed. Over the past year or so, the prison population has dropped by 120-150 people.

THAT'S OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS.

IT'S NOT CLEAR WHY THE PRISON POPULATION IS DROPPING.

CRIME RATES IN GENERAL ARE DOWN.

AND THE PRISON IS MOVING MORE INMATES TOWARD PAROLE.

BUT WHATEVER THE REASON, MINARD SAYS THAT IF THE TREND CONTINUES, IN 2006, THE STATE COULD BE DOWN 300 INMATES FROM ITS PEAK OF TWO YEARS AGO.

AND THAT SAYS MINARD COULD ALLOW THE STATE TO CLOSE A WING OF THE STATE PRISON...OR MAYBE EVEN ONE OF THE OTHER FACILITIES.

FOR NHPR NEWS, THIS IS MARK BEVIS IN CONCORD.