My son (now 16) was able to escape from his crib by the time he was 8 months old. We tried everything we could think of, but he continued climbing up and falling out. He did it during the day and the night, so I finally decided to teach him how to get out without falling. But the rule was that he had to come get me whenever he did. Within a week he was able to get in and out alone. And he would come get me wherever I was. We would use the day "escapes" as an excuse to go on walks, bike rides, or even chore time. At night, we read books or listened to quiet music on a small tape player.
After a while at night, he got tired and would go back to sleep and so would I. The day times gave me a chance to spend a little extra time with him. By the time he was 2 he slept through the night and had a nice day schedule that allowed both of us some rest time. We had more bonding because of it and I don't regret teaching him this.
Mainly I was concerned that he would be seriously injured by a fall. Thankfully we never had to deal with this and he is now a very active young man with enough wisdom to avoid dangerous situations.