Inmate’s escape from New Brunswick jail was preventable: internal review

An internal review shows an escape from a jail in Shediac, N.B., was preventable.

An internal review into how an inmate escaped from a New Brunswick jail in February has found the incident was preventable and the inmate went undetected for several hours.

The RCMP said Todd John Lewis, 35, jumped the fence and escaped from the Southeast Regional Correctional Centre just before 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 12.

It was previously reported that police weren’t alerted to the situation until 12:30 a.m. on Feb. 13.

Lewis was on the run for more than a month. He was eventually arrested in Moncton, N.B., on March 23.

“We understand this could be a very traumatic experience for people in the region, so we’re very happy nothing happened on that front,” said Public Safety Minister Robert Gauvin at the New Brunswick legislature on Friday.

The Department of Justice and Public Safety has completed its internal review, which examined the circumstances surrounding Lewis’s escape, and identified areas where additional safeguards could be put in place.

“Public safety is our top priority,” said Gauvin in a news release. “While escapes from our provincial facilities are extremely rare, we take incidents like this very seriously. This review allowed us to identify improvements and take action to reduce the risk of this happening again.”

The department said the findings of the review “led to corrective action on a small number of people,” but did not elaborate.

“The vast majority of correctional staff across the province carry out their duties with professionalism and dedication,” said Gauvin.

“Here, a few people fell short of minimum expectations, and the department has addressed that fact.”

When asked by reporters at the legislature whether any correctional staff members have been terminated over the incident, Gauvin wouldn’t say, citing HR confidentiality.

“The people who work in those facilities, it’s not an easy job,” said the minister. “So I want to say ‘thank you’ to all who do that work.”

The department says it has enhanced physical security measures at the correctional facility and amended staff procedures and protocols. It’s also extended similar measures to other correctional centres in the province.

Gauvin wouldn’t offer any specifics about the measures, but said changes have been made to ensure prisoner counts are carried out more thoroughly.

“There were supposed to be two counts between five and midnight, so they’re working on, to make sure the procedures are respected,” he told reporters. “So that, I imagine, was part of the questions asked.”

Meanwhile, Lewis is facing numerous charges, including:

• escaping lawful custody
• breaching probation
• failing to appear in court
• wilfully obstructing a police officer
• several weapons-related offences

With files from CTV News Atlantic’s Nick Moore and Derek Haggett

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