Escapes from prison establishments and escorts

A prisoner escapes from prison if they unlawfully gain their liberty (for 15 minutes or more) by breaching the secure perimeter of a closed prison, or if during prison staff escort, overcome the control of escorting staff and leave the escort, the van or the building (hospital etc.). Those who escape for less than 15 minutes and commit an offence are also recorded as an escape.

Escapes are monitored to analyse the frequency across the estate and identify any trends nationally, also taking into consideration the management of risk to the public.

This total consists of escapes from establishments, HMPPS escorts, contractor escorts and includes escapes by Category A prisoners. For a further breakdown please see the HM Prison and Probation Service annual digest.

The data source for this measure and more detailed information can be found in the HM prison and probation service annual digest publication.

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