A prison that 92 inmates have escaped from in the past five years is letting lags out to enjoy a weekly fun run.
Prisoners from HMP Sudbury – which a judge once likened to a holiday camp – take part in 5km Parkruns, like those enjoyed by thousands each weekend.
The move was approved by the governor of the jail – which has the highest number of escapees in England and Wales, according to figures obtained by the Sunday People.
Cons’ times are listed on the website of Parkrun, which oversees more than 570 contests in the UK.
HMP Sudbury, a Category D open prison in Derbyshire, launched its first Parkrun last month and said on social media that 26 lags took part.
One man had no shoes so he walked the course before a local running group offered a pair donated by a member.
The prison’s move could raise eyebrows as a record 92 prisoners have escaped in the past five years.
Only Kirkham prison near Preston, Lancs, came close in the escapes league table – with 79 during the same period.
HMP Ford in West Sussex had 55 abscond in that time.
Separate figures released last year show 1,157 inmates from HMP Sudbury have gone missing since 1996, with 10 still at large. The records show one a week has disappeared from the jail on average over the past 22 years.
Thief Nathan Richardson, 35, got an extra four months on top of his sentence after he scaled the perimeter fence.
He had been serving three and a half years but fled to escape the drugs and violence inside, a court heard last month.
Earlier this year one judge likened the jail to a holiday camp. In 2007, Ian Norton simply walked out of the main gate and was found after 12 days of rough sleeping.
The burglar’s reason for absconding was accepted by Recorder Paul Mann, who said: “I bear in mind the circumstances for leaving.
“It is not the first time the court has heard an explanation of that kind.”
Of the 528 who escaped from prisons in England and Wales from 2014 to 2019, 452 were put back into open prisons despite the risk they would abscond again.
Ministry of Justice statistics show 23 sex offenders are among those who fled jails, while 110 violent criminals made off.
A spokesman for the ministry said: “Starting May 2014, prisoners with a history of escape, absconding or serious temporary release failure have been prevented from transfer to open conditions.”
The Prison Service said: “Absconds from open prison have fallen by two-thirds in the last decade and recaptured absconders face more time behind bars.”
