Hay River (Aug 14/06) - A Hay River man had a brief taste of freedom after escaping from the South Mackenzie Correctional Centre (SMCC) in late July.

Sylvain Joseph Tessier, 39, simply left the jail at about 9:30 p.m. on July 20.

"I understand he just walked away from the facility," said Herb Castle, director of corrections with the Department of Justice in Yellowknife.

Castle said the SMCC is a minimum security facility for non-violent prisoners deemed to be low security risks.

"Public safety is paramount to us when we put someone in this facility," he said.

However, Castle said there is nothing to prevent inmates from walking away. "At different times of day, it's a wide-open facility."

The SMCC has a "lot of latitude" for prisoners, he added, although he notes the doors are locked at certain times of day.

Otherwise, inmates participate in work crews around the community, go for medical appointments and have other temporary absences. Sometimes they are accompanied by staff, sometimes not.

One of the main security measures is a count of inmates four times a day.

Mayor Diana Ehman said the recent escape and the facility's level of security don't appear to be issues in the community.

"Nobody has made any comments to me about the incident or the facility in general," she said.

Castle said, if an inmate is determined to be missing, the RCMP is notified, much the same as in the case of a missing child. The police are provided with information and a picture.

"That's where we leave it," Castle said, noting the SMCC doesn't have the resources to launch a search itself.

Tessier, who was in the facility on remand for fraud charges, was picked up by the RCMP the day after he escaped.

Because of the escape, Tessier's security level has been raised and he is now in the North Slave Correctional Centre in Yellowknife. Plus, he faces a charge of escaping lawful custody.

Noting there can be up to 48 inmates at SMCC, Castle said the previous walk-away happened about 18 months ago. "Absolutely, it's uncommon."