Prison staff could be fired in Texas inmates' escape

CHAT TRANSCRIPT Tony Clark: New findings about the escape of the Texas Seven

Report faults security lapses

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From staff and wire reports

AUSTIN, Texas -- The escape of seven convicts, still on the loose from a maximum-security Texas prison, was blamed on mistakes by staff members who now face disciplinary action that could include firing, prison officials said Thursday.

A state report on the December 13 getaway from the Connally Unit near Kenedy, Texas, found that:

• Prison staff failed to report unsupervised inmates.
• Guards failed to recognize inmates disguised as civilians.
• Security officers failed to adequately respond to a fire alarm. The alarm had been triggered by some prison employees who had been held hostage but who managed to free themselves.

VIDEO Correctional Officer Alejandro Marroquin says the guards are not entirely to blame for the escape of seven inmates Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)     CONTACT Anyone with information on the fugitives should call Crime Stoppers Anonymous 1 (800) 737-8143   RESOURCES Read the memo detailing the prison escape and the escapees' crimes (PDF) Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader Profiles of the escapees   INTERACTIVE Interactive map of the Texas manhunt     MESSAGE BOARD Violence in America

"We expect disciplinary action," said Gary Johnson, director of the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. "Firing is possible."

He said one staff member may already have been disciplined but did not provide details.

Johnson, answering questions at a news conference in Austin, said authorities don't yet know if the seven escapees had help from anyone else inside the prison.

"As far as the planning, we don't know," he said. "The seven guys that are still on the loose are the ones that know how much planning went into this. We have, to this point, not found other persons -- staff or offenders -- that have information about the planning phase."

The report said the inmates began their breakout armed only with a small flathead screwdriver, an 11-inch iron rod and a 12-inch handmade knife blade. By the time they fled the prison in a stolen vehicle, they had the beginnings of an arsenal taken from the guards they disarmed.

The gang broke out of prison by overpowering 10 civilian workers, a guard and a supervisor in the maintenance shop where they worked. They stole work clothing, a pickup truck and firearms, and left a note saying: "You haven't heard the last of us yet."

Other letters left behind by three of the convicts complained of the "tyranny of the Texas prison system" and called for a revolution, The Dallas Morning News reported Thursday.

The group is charged in the Christmas Eve shooting death of a police officer during a holdup at a sporting goods store in Irving. A gun taken from the prison was found at the store, police said.

The breakout has touched off complaints about guard pay and staff shortages in the nation's largest prison system.

Starting pay for a Texas prison guard is about $18,000, or 43rd in the country, said Brian Olsen, executive director of a prison employee council within the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

Pay for veteran officers last year was boosted to slightly more than $28,000, compared with a national average of about $34,000, Olsen said.

A proposed state budget announced Wednesday includes $42 million for prison guard pay raises promised last summer. It does not include any new money for additional raises or staff.

The Texas prison system has 23,622 guards, with a total of 2,595 open positions. Olsen said the Connally Unit was 22 officers short the day of the escape.

CNN National Correspondent Tony Clark and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Texas Department of Criminal Justice
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