Well, this article explains a lot:
http://www.pressrepublican.com/news...cle_45cbbd82-267f-5d5e-a74e-541d7441d57c.html
"One of the major changes that appears to have aided inmates Richard Matt and David Sweat in their escape was eliminating catwalk checks behind inmate cells at night, Dumas said.
A catwalk runs along the corridor behind the cells where Matt and Sweat were bunked, giving officers access to the backs of each cell.
(someone here asked about that earlier today)
Matt and Sweat cut holes in their cell walls to get onto the catwalk, authorities say, where they then made their way down to a steam pipe and eventually to a manhole on Bouck Street."
"Officers would go out onto the catwalk and cut the power to an inmate's cell if he continually refused orders to keep it quiet. Or they could cut power to all cells on that row.
"But the inmates complained about having their power cut off, and the administration (State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision) agreed with them and
took the keys to the catwalk away," Dumas said.
(so, the prisoners get the upper hand??)
"As for prisoner counts at night, Dumas confirmed reports that inmates complained about flashlights being shined in their eyes and that DOCCS ended flashlight use at night." :banghead:
""They could have been outside their cells for four or five hours each night to do what they had to do," Dumas said.
"And where they were cutting was so far down, no one would have heard it."
"Dumas also confirmed what the Press-Republican reported last week — that inmates are allowed to paint their own cells, which gives them an opportunity to cover up transgressions."
"Inmates would, at times, paint over razor blades taped to the wall, Dumas said.
"You can't see them, and metal detectors would not pick them up because of the tape," he said.