A convicted murderer who let himself out of a Northern Territory prison, stole a car and crashed it before being recaptured, was handed the keys he used by a member of staff, it's been revealed.

Malcolm Morton, who stabbed his uncle to death when he was 14, fled the Alice Springs jail last April after a worker gave him a set of keys to "play with" during a regular mental health visit.

According to Sky News the inmate stole a car parked outside the facility and was on the run for about 30 minutes before he crashed it and was apprehended.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner says the public should have been made aware of the incident as soon as possible, instead of nine months later.

"This didn't happen and that's not good enough," he said.

"We have asked that protocols about informing the public be improved to ensure this doesn't happen again."

Morton, an intellectually disabled Aboriginal man, has been held in the jail's maximum security wing since 2009 when a judge found him unfit to stand trial.

In 2016 the UN Human Rights Council heard complaints about Morton's restraint, isolation and sedation while behind bars.

He had been granted day release to a secure health unit adjoining Alice Springs jail but his legal guardian wants him provided with disability care and released from prison.

Two health department workers resigned over his escape and Attorney-General Natasha Fyles ordered a critical incident review which recommended a staff member always be present at the facility on weekends.

Morton is subject to a Custodial Supervision Order which should have included constant supervision.

"These orders are in place to protect the community and the community should have been informed of the breach in security," Mr Gunner said.

The Supreme Court reviews Morton's case annually and the escape was brought to its attention a few weeks after it occurred.

The previous CLP government's corrections commissioner was sacked in 2016 after an axe-murdering rapist escaped a prison work camp, and Opposition Leader Gary Higgins said Labor had not learned from the past.

"I call on the chief minister to outline the ramifications for his cabinet colleagues involved in this cover up," he said.

"The question has to be asked whether this government is serious about corrections, serious about rehabilitation and serious about the safety of Territorians."