System guilty in officer’s death
Texas prison escapees should have had more supervision

It has been 35 days since the escape. Twenty-six days have passed since the murder of Aubrey Hawkins, an Irving police officer. There were 11 prison employees who were attacked and stripped of their clothing by seven prison inmates. The prisoners spent two hours walking free around the prison because there was only one civilian guard who was assigned to watch the inmates.

As startling as these numbers are, what is more shocking is the fact that, to date, the authorities have had no prominent leads to where the escapees have been or where they might be going.

After escaping from the John B. Connally Jr. Prison Unit in Karnes County Dec. 13, the seven escapees seemed to have vanished into thin air. That is until the “Connally Seven” decided to make their presence known in a deadly robbery on Christmas Eve at an Oshman’s Super Sports USA store in Irving.

The main question to be asked is whether the inmates, three of whom were serving life sentences and two who were convicted of murder, should have been assigned to the minimum security area of the prison.

Officials have repeatedly said the prisoners were under suitable watch and that they did not pose a danger to anyone. Actually, only a single, unarmed civilian guard, who was easily overpowered by the men, watched the seven prisoners.

One significant factor being considered in the success of the daring escape is the lack of security available at the prison. Contrary to earlier statements made by the Connally Unit officials, they now report that on the day of the escape, the prison was short 22 officers. They have also stated they have made repeated requests to lawmakers to hire more employees.

Not only was the prison understaffed, but they have also had a history of prisoner attacks on guards. The Connally Unit has reported more attacks on guards than any other prison in Texas within the past six years.

So who is to blame for all of these mistakes?

During a news conference last week, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice insinuated the prison guards, who were on duty that day, were at fault for the prison break. This accusation left many people angry at the prison system for not taking responsibility for what happened.

Officer Hawkins’ mother, Jayne Hawkins, did not accept the Justice Board’s answers to what happened that day. As she looked at each of the members, she told them they were each to blame for the death of her son.

Jayne Hawkins was absolutely correct in blaming the members of the Justice Board for the death of her son. Not only are they to blame, but so are the Texas lawmakers who sit in Austin and claim to be making laws that will make it safer for every citizen to live in Texas.

So far, nobody has had any answers to why the convicted murderers were placed under minimum security and why they were allowed to walk around the prison without any supervision. So far, nobody has had any answers to why it took law officials so long to realize they were missing seven inmates, and so far, nobody has had any answers to why there are still no leads to one of the most infamous prison breaks in recent history.

I wonder what answers lawmakers will have for Aubrey Hawkins’ mother when she asks them what she should tell her grandson when he asks why his father had to die.

Associate Campus Editor Hemi Ahluwalia is a junior broadcast journalism major from Stephenville. She can be reached at (hemia@hotmail.com).

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