Spokesman Larry Todd also said the escapes generally happen when an inmate is on a work detail, either hoeing cotton fields, clearing brush or cleaning up public areas. The escapes most often occur during spring and summer, when the weather allows for outside work, and not necessarily around Christmas or other holidays, Mr. Todd said. The last large escape attempt occurred November 1998 when seven death row inmates at the Ellis Unit in Huntsville attempted an escape from an exercise yard by cutting through a fence. Guards spotted the inmates before they left the grounds, and only Martin Gurule managed to climb two security fences and escape. He apparently drowned shortly after the escape, and his body was found a week later, floating in Harmon Creek.
Prisons use some low-tech law enforcement to prevent inmates from getting far.
Highway signs posted near prison units admonish drivers not to pick up hitchhikers. Also tracking hounds are maintained at more than a dozen sites throughout the state. Mr. Castlebury said that talks with the six inmates who failed to break out with Mr. Gurule, as well as discussions with other recaptured prisoners, show that most have an escape plan but haven't thought beyond that. It is easy for one inmate to hitch a ride or slip into a favorite bar, but for the pack of seven, it is harder to comprehend their plans, Mr. Castlebury said. The seven inmates being sought nationally escaped from the Connally Unit near Kenedy, about 60 miles southeast of San Antonio.