WE have had an escape from the Bennett Brook Detention Centre. They said two inmates absconded: this was the entire population of the centre and I would suggest that absconding on one of the busiest police nights of the year showed at least some planning.
Last year at the opening of the centre I was privileged to be shown the interior of the facility.
At the time, I commented that my only eight-year-old daughter would have a problem with climbing the fences because she was short.
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I said this was not good enough with long-term prison inmates housed across the road from people’s homes. The head of security assured me the inmates would not even attempt to scale the fence because conditions inside were so nice.
He was also of the opinion that the inmates would not be capable of planning an escape from the facility.
I think that this refusal to have decent security has now condemned the two inmates to be returned to prison and probably never released unless the Prison Inreach Program can help them.
As always, with the centre so close to homes it should be servicing those who are at the beginning of their contact with the legal system, not people who have exhausted almost all options available in the system.
MIKE GILKS, Lockridge.