Report on Ohio inmate escape cites staff errors

COLUMBUS (AP) — Corrections staff failed to properly count work crews and follow policy in responding to alarms when an inmate used ladders to escape a state prison last month, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction said today.

The department said four employees from the Mansfield Correctional Institution have been placed on administrative leave pending further review and might face discipline.

“The strongest possible actions will be pursued against the appropriate employees to hold them accountable for the escape, and to ensure that a similar incident does not occur” at any Ohio prison, the department said in a summary of its investigation.

It said a full report would be shared with Ohio prison wardens but would not be released publicly because it contains detailed security-related information.

The summary includes a list of steps to be taken in response to the findings. The department plans to review how ladders are stored, take an inventory of any tools not recently used and re-examine requirements for inmate counts, among other steps.