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<title>Arizona Prison Escapes in 1997</title>
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<p align="center"><font color="#FF0000" size="6" face="Freehand591 BT"><strong>Arizona Department of Corrections</strong></font></p>
<p align="center"><font size="5"><u><img src="EN00371A.gif" width="98" height="100"></u></font></p>
<p align="center"><font color="#FF0000" size="6"><em><strong><u>NO
ESCAPES IN 1997</u></strong></em><em><strong> </strong></em></font><br wp="br1">
<br wp="br2">
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<p align="left"><font size="4">The number of escapes from within
an Arizona prison's secure perimeter in 1997 - zero. <br wp="br1">
</font></p>
<p><font size="4">The number of escapes from a work crew outside
a prison's secure perimeter in 1997 - zero. <br wp="br1">
<br wp="br2">
</font></p>
<p><font size="4">The total number of prison escapes in any form
from an Arizona prison in 1997 - zero. <br wp="br1">
<br wp="br2">
<br wp="br1">
For the first time in the history of the Arizona Department of
Corrections, not one prison escape occurred in an entire calendar
year. In fact, no escapes have occurred for a continuous period
of more than fifteen months. <br wp="br1">
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<br wp="br1">
&quot;Preventing escapes is one of our greatest challenges,&quot;
said Deputy Director of Prison Operations Charles Ryan.
&quot;Collectively, the employees of the Department have
heightened their awareness of attention to detail as it pertains
to the public's safety. It was because of our employees that we
experienced zero escapes for the first time in our history,&quot;
Ryan said. <br wp="br1">
<br wp="br2">
<br wp="br1">
Arizona State Prison Complex-Florence Warden Meg Savage was
reminded of the July 9, 1997 escape attempt by death row inmate
Floyd Thornton that resulted in the deaths of Thornton and his
wife. Rebecca Thornton fired numerous rounds of gunfire from
outside the prison's fence at correctional officers and inmates
working in Florence's vegetable garden. She was shot and killed
by one of the officers just as she fired her weapon at her
husband, who was running toward the fence in an apparent effort
to escape. <br wp="br1">
<br wp="br2">
<br wp="br1">
&quot;The Thornton incident demonstrated how the heroic response
by some of our staff members prevented the escape of one or more
of the most dangerous criminals in Arizona,&quot; Savage said.
&quot;'1997's zero escape total is a direct reflection of the
caliber of staff we have in the Department of Corrections. We
know for a fact that on several occasions, escape attempts were
thwarted by observant and conscientious staff,&quot; Warden
Savage stated. <br wp="br1">
<br wp="br2">
<br wp="br1">
The last time any escape of an Arizona Department of Corrections
inmate occurred was October 4, 1996 when an inmate jumped from a
transportation van while en route to the state prison in Safford
from St. Mary's Hospital in Tucson. Coincidentally, this last
escapee, Jesus Espinosa, became 1998's first escape apprehension
when Department of Corrections investigators arrested him at a
Tucson apartment on January 5, 1998. <br wp="br1">
<br wp="br2">
<br wp="br1">
&quot;Zero escapes in an entire calendar year is a great
milestone of which all of us in the Arizona Department of
Corrections can be especially proud,&quot; Corrections Director
Terry Stewart said. &quot;This was not the result of just good
fortune. It is a direct result of the dedication the employees of
the Department of Corrections have to maintaining safe and secure
prisons for the people of Arizona,&quot; Director Stewart said. <br wp="br1">
<br wp="br2">
<br wp="br1">
<br wp="br2">
For further information contact Michael Arra or Camilla Strongin,
(602) 542-3133. <br wp="br1">
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<p align="center"><a href="reports.htm"><font size="4"><img src="WB01624_.gif" border="0" width="41" height="28"></font></a></p>
<p align="left"><font size="4">This page was last updated on <strong><!--webbot bot="Timestamp" s-type="EDITED" s-format="%m/%d/%y %I:%M:%S %p" startspan -->05/24/99 03:05:05 PM<!--webbot bot="Timestamp" endspan i-checksum="28191" --></strong><br wp="br2">
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