Corrections_Today_Fall_2025_Vol.87_No.3

T he warden heard his cellphone buzz on his nightstand at 3:22 a.m. and instantly felt his stomach drop. Nothing good happens after midnight. The watch commander was on the other end: “Boss, we have an inmate unaccounted for.” It was the commander’s way of telling him they had a prisoner escape. Listening intently as he quickly put his clothes on and headed to the prison, the warden knew this would be a major issue and a press conference would likely occur later in the morning. Madden pon dered everything his commander relayed as he drove to the complex, considering all the things he’d have to do once he arrived. The story above is fictional but represents occur rences correctional executives face almost daily. It also illustrates the concerns correctional administrators must grapple with as they deal with sensitive, high-profile and high-emotion issues. It’s why executives need to be trained in, and practice, strategic and crisis communica tion skills — especially when it comes to dealing with escapes of inmates in custody. This article summarizes some of the key principles of leadership and crisis communications, based on review ing dozens of academic journal articles, correctional institution policies, after-action and inspector General reports following escapes and examinations of commu nications from actual incidents. 1 Unfortunately, there are very few academic studies that specifically address the strategic communication aspects of escaped inmates, but this article provides a framework executives can use as they prepare and plan for communications related to escapes and hopefully will spur further research into effective practices. Crisis communication and prison escapes Crisis communications is the process of managing public communications during an emergency that is disruptive and potentially dangerous. 2 Correctional ad ministrators and executives are responsible for planning, responding and recovering from events, like escaped in mates, that could damage an agency’s reputation, public image, or operations. For corrections executives, crisis communications are essential due to the inherent risks and complexities of their work. A successful escape can pose a serious threat

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to public safety and generate significant media atten tion, and there will always be questions about violence, co-conspirators and potential staff victimization or involvement. These events, when poorly handled, erode public confidence in the agency and lead to legal and ethical challenges, lawsuits and public outrage. While escapes are typically rare and low-impact issues, such as AWOLs or walk-always are captured shortly after escaping, others are more significant and protracted affairs that generate large media and public interest. 3 Both require the executive to address the situ ation, albeit it differently, depending on the facts and circumstances of each case. Research on crisis communication highlights the importance of addressing the emotional concerns that the public has during escapes. 4. One relative of a murder victim reported the anxiety and uncertainty they expe rienced during the two-week long search for a convicted killer: “I haven’t slept for many days. I have been waking up with fright at night.” 5 Failure to address the emotions of community members, staff and other stakeholders will likely lead to deepening distrust and may even have career-ending implications for senior executives and involved officials. →

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Fall 2025 | Corrections Today

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