Guards May Be Fired Because of 7 Texas Inmates’ Escape

Six weeks after seven inmates escaped from a Texas prison, at least one worker has been suspended and some guards may be fired, a union official said.

Several guards named in a Texas Department of Criminal Justice report issued last week are expected to face disciplinary hearings, in which the warden will make recommendations based on an investigative committee’s findings.

Brian Olsen, executive director of a prison employee council within the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said prison officials should take into account institutional problems.

“There were some mistakes made by those officers . . . but poor training and other problems should be taken into consideration,” Olsen said. “Morale has been low for two years because of low pay and high turnover of guards. We’re down to an absolute crisis.”

The convicts escaped Dec. 13 from the maximum-security Connally Unit, 60 miles southeast of San Antonio. They have since been charged with the Christmas Eve murder of a Dallas-area police officer and are still at large.

The department will announce disciplinary actions against the guards as soon as the actions are carried out, agency spokesman Glen Castlebury said.

Institutional director Gary Johnson said in the department’s report that a guard shortage may have played an indirect role in the escape. The union has said the prison was short 22 staffers at the time.

The reward for information leading to the capture of the escapees now stands at $500,000.