Prison security strategies and prison escape: a case of Uganda Government Prisons-Mbale

Abstract

Drawing on the Routine Activities Theory of Cohen and Felson (1979), the study established how prison security strategies curb prison escapes. Literature was reviewed under themes that reflect specific research objectives and research variables to explore previous studies and information gaps. A cross-sectional design was adopted with a case study approach that used questionnaires as tools to support the quantitative study. A total of 105 prison staff participated in the quantitative study, while 50 prisoners and 10 prison staff leaders participated in qualitative study. The study findings showed that physical, dynamic and procedural security strategies were generally effective in curbing prison escapes. The study thus recommends an enhancement of these security strategies with emphasis in the implementation of prisoners’ Information Management System, staff training in prisoners classification, increased prisoners population capacity and human rights observance in the prisons