Security Lapses at Corbas Prison in Southeastern Lyon
No Bag Inspections Exposed Major Flaws
A French inmate who escaped by hiding in the bag of a fellow prisoner being released was apprehended three days after his escape.
According to the French daily Le Parisien on July 14 (local time), a 20-year-old inmate named Eliajid, who escaped from Corbas Prison in southeastern Lyon on July 11, was arrested at around 6 a.m. that day. It was reported that Eliajid did not offer significant resistance at the time of his arrest.
On July 11, Eliajid escaped from Corbas Prison by hiding inside a large bag belonging to a fellow inmate who was being released.
This fellow inmate transported the bag using a cart, collected it again after passing through the processing counter, and exited the prison without any special inspection. Prison guards only realized that Eliajid had escaped the following morning.
An official related to the case stated, "Considering that the luggage weighed at least 50 to 60 kilograms, it is unlikely that the fellow inmate was unaware of it," indicating that this person is believed to have assisted in Eliajid's escape. Investigators are now pursuing this inmate as an accomplice.
Eliajid is facing charges related to organized crime and firearms, and is also under investigation for a drug organization case. He is reported to be 172 centimeters tall. In connection with this, controversy has arisen over the fact that the large bag carried out by the fellow inmate was never inspected even once. Correctional authorities have acknowledged the laxity of internal surveillance systems and are conducting their own investigation. In addition, Lyon police and prosecutors are investigating the case with the possibility of an organized escape conspiracy in mind.
Sebastien Couvel, director of the correctional authority, admitted, "A number of mistakes by correctional officials accumulated." He also stated, "This incident is extremely rare in our correctional administration and clearly reveals a series of serious functional failures."
In this regard, some have pointed out that prison overcrowding was a factor in the escape. According to the BBC, as of May this year, the prison, which has a capacity of 678 people, was holding about 1,200 inmates, or 170% of its intended capacity. As a result, security and personnel management had reportedly become even more vulnerable.
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