Inmates on outdoor work details at the Butler County Prison now have two guards supervising them.

On Monday, Warden Joe DeMore added an extra guard to watch over inmates who do work such as cut grass or unload trucks at the prison dock. He said he made the change in response to the escape of inmate Robert E. Crissman from the Armstrong County Jail.

“I added that just to up the security,” DeMore said.

Crissman had trusty status at the jail in Armstrong and walked away from the facility July 30. He allegedly walked out an unlocked door to get food from a delivery truck and never came back.

While out of the jail, he allegedly fled to the home of Tammy Long and strangled and beat her to death before being caught several hours later.

He now is in the Butler County Prison instead of going back to Armstrong, and is charged with homicide, escaping prison, aggravated assault of a police officer, and theft of a gun and two trucks.

Officials said Crissman, who was in jail for violating probation on a drug charge, was trusted by staff and escaped while delivering meals to inmates as part of a work release program. Crissman’s criminal history includes multiple counts of theft, trespassing, drug possession and driving under the influence of alcohol. He had no violent crimes on his record. The trusty program at the jail now is suspended and under review.

DeMore said Crissman is on administrative lockdown with heavy security at the Butler prison.

At the Butler prison, work details, community service and work release are available to all sentenced inmates who have no violent crimes on record. “Trusty” is a term not used at the prison.

Phill Shaffer, deputy warden for security, said inmates are vetted by prison counselors to determine whether they will be eligible for these programs.

“Everything is checked out,” Shaffer said.

Before Monday’s change, only one guard was stationed for outdoor work details. Now, there will be two guards and one will carry a Taser.

For work details in the prison, a guard is stationed nearby.

Although these programs are open to nonviolent offenders, Shaffer said that an inmate who may have had an assault conviction many years ago might be permitted to do work inside the prison, such as in the kitchen.

For work release, inmates go out on their own to jobs. They are not allowed to leave the job site while they are working, and they must agree to numerous restrictions, such as not being allowed to use the phone.

For jobs close to the prison, they can walk. For jobs farther away, Shaffer said staff and inmates work out ways to get there — such as public transportation or obtaining a ride elsewhere.

Counselors and corrections officers do random site checks to make sure inmates are at work, and also check by phone.

“We try to keep as much tab on them as possible,” Shaffer said.

When inmates return to the prison, they are searched.

For people who have short sentences, they often are able to do the jobs that they had before entering prison so they do not lose those positions while serving their time.

For other inmates, they apply via a computer that shows available jobs in the area.

“It’s something unique,” Shaffer said.

Employers have to be made aware that the applicants are inmates because prison staff will call and visit the job site.

Community service is done similarly to the work release program, although a van often picks inmates up for those jobs.

If an inmate walks away from a work release or community service job, DeMore said, the prison would notify police, and a judge would issue a warrant.

It has been quite a while since the prison has had an inmate walk away from these assignments.

In 2003, Michael Anthony Randall never returned to the prison from work release after his workplace closed due to bad weather.

In 2001, George Wooster never returned to the prison from his community service assignment. In 1997, John Thomas, a prison inmate who was receiving treatment for alcohol abuse, did not return to a Pittsburgh rehabilitation facility from his work release.

Shaffer said that the system has worked well for the prison.

“We’ve been doing it for years, so I think it’s pretty good,” Shaffer said.