U.S. Marshals observing a prisoner transport to prevent escapes

Escape from prison via helicopter is seen as a major threat. Many prisons have some type of enclosed roof, as shown at the Jika Jika Division, Pentridge Prison, Melbourne, Australia.

A prison escape or prison break is where a prisoner leaves their prison through unofficial or illegal ways, and almost always results in an effort to recapture them by their original detainers. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 340 × 296 pixelsFull resolution (340 × 296 pixel, file size: 44 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Police Prison escape Prisoner transport ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 340 × 296 pixelsFull resolution (340 × 296 pixel, file size: 44 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Police Prison escape Prisoner transport ... United States Marshals star badge The United States Marshals Service (USMS) (sometimes incorrectly spelled “Marshals’ Service”) is an agency within the United States Department of Justice (see 28 U.S.C. Â§ 561) and is a federal police organization with special spheres of authority. ... United States Marshals watching a Prisoner transport Prisoner transport describes the transportation of prisoners by land, air and water. ... Jika Jika Pentridge File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Jika Jika Pentridge File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Main entrance HM Prison Pentridge was an Australian prison built in 1850 and located in Coburg, Victoria. ...

Methods of escape

Opportunistic: A prisoner sees a chance to escape from prison and takes it, such as when a door is accidentally left unlocked. The prisoner may not have previously considered escape before, but has seen an opportunity for freedom and taken it.

Planned: When a prisoner considers how to escape from a prison and takes steps to ensure that plan is successful, they are planning an escape. This is the most common variety, since a prisoner must not only determine how to reach the outside of the prison but how to elude authorities.

Getting assistance

Outside assistance: Friends or relatives of an inmate arrange for items to be smuggled into the prison or arrange to have an escape vehicle standing by, ready to receive the prisoner when they reach the outside of the compound. Because prisoners' mail, gifts and communications are usually monitored it can be difficult to ensure this sort of assistance.

Inside assistance: Most prison escapes require assistance from people inside the prison; usually from fellow inmates but it's possible for corrupted guards or other prison officials to help an inmate escape, typically through turning a blind eye to 'anomalies' or sabotage. It is more difficult for officials to monitor this form of assistance, since communication between inmates and their guards is routine in most prison facilities.

Famous historical escapes

There have been many famous escapes throughout history.

• In 1756 Italian writer Giacomo Casanova famously managed to escape from one of the most secure prisons of his time: the Doge's Palace.
• The Great Escape, 76 Allied POWs (primarily Commonwealth airmen) escaped from Stalag Luft III during World War Two. 50 of the escaped POWs were rounded up and shot by the Gestapo, while only 3 succeeded in reaching neutral territories.
• The Libby Prison Escape occurred on 10 February 1864, when 109 Union officers escaped from Libby Prison, a Confederate POW camp in Richmond, Virginia during the U.S. Civil War. Of the 109, 59 succeeded in making it back through Federal lines.
• Frank Morris, John Anglin and Clarence Anglin escaped from 'inescapable' Alcatraz Island; although the fate of the escapees is unclear.
• In December 1979 political prisoners Tim Jenkin, Stephen Lee and Alex Moumbaris escaped from South Africa's maximum-security Pretoria Prison. After 18 months of plotting, testing, preparing, and learning how to pick locks and forge keys, the trio escaped the prison the same way they came in: through 10 locked doors.
• Soviet spy George Blake escaped from Wormwood Scrubs on 22 October 1966, assisted by Pat Pottle, Michael Randle and Sean Bourke. Both Blake and Bourke reached the safety of the Soviet Union.
• German Naval Air Service Kapitänleutnant Gunter Plüschow escaped from the Donington Hall prisoner of war camp in 1915.
• Colditz Castle was used as an 'escape-proof' prisoner of war camp during World War II; over the course of 300 escape attempts 130 prisoners escaped, of which 30 eventually managed to reach friendly territory. Escapees tunneled, disguised themselves as guards, workmen or women, snuck away through sewer drains, and even planned to use a glider to get over the wall. (Further research has proven that the glider attempt would almost certainly have been successful, but the War ended before it was to be put into action. By this time the glider had been fully assembled.)
• André Devigny, a French Resistance Fighter during World War 2, escaped Montluc Military Prison in Lyon with his cellmate in April 1943.
• Safe cracker Alfie Hinds became famous for escaping from Nottingham Prison after sneaking through the locked doors and over a 20-foot prison wall for which he became known as "Houdini" Hinds. He later escaped from the Law Courts at the Old Bailey. Escorted by two guards, he went to the lavatory where they removed his handcuffs outside. Once inside, Hinds bundled the handcuffs and snapped the padlock onto screw eyes inserted on the door by his unknown accomplices and escaped into the crowd on Fleet Street. Hinds sealed his notoriety by making a third escape from Chelmsford Prison.
• Jack Sheppard escaped from prison several times, using elaborate planning, and careful noting of the time that guards patrolled certain areas.
• The escape of Lucien Rivard in Canada in 1965. Rivard was consequently named the Canadian Newsmaker of the Year by the Canadian Press.
• Before being sentenced to 12 years in the Federal Corrections Institution at Petersburg, Virginia in April 1971, Frank W. Abagnale is said to have escaped from both a British VC-10 airliner, and the Federal Detention Center in Atlanta, Georgia. His autobiography was later adapted to the screen for the 2002 release of Catch Me If You Can, starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
• The Mecklenburg Virginia Death Row escape in 1984. Six death row inmates escape, the largest mass death row escape in American histoy. All were recaptured within 18 days, and all six men would eventually be executed. The final executon took place in 1996.
• Martin Gurule escapes from Texas Death Row in 1998. Found dead a few days later.
• The Texas 7 escape.
• Prisoners used guns to escape Whitemoor (HM Prison)
• In 1998, the Belgian child molester Marc Dutroux notoriously managed to escape for a few hours due to an embarrassing series of events. He was caught the same afternoon, but the incident forced two politicians to resign and deepened the loss of faith in the Belgian judicial system.
• Danny Ray Horning escaped from the Arizona State Prison in Florence, Arizona on May 12, 1992, and a 55-day manhunt ensued as Horning fled the authorities. The pursuit ended on July, 5, 1992, near Sedona, Arizona. Horning led authorities hundreds of miles through the Arizona wilderness, and committed numerous kidnappings during the manhunt.
• In New York, two convicted murders escape from Elmira State Penitentiary in July 2003, both recaptured in 2 days.
• Brian Nichols escaped from the Fulton County courthouse in Atlanta, by overpowering a guard. He then murdered a judge, a court reporter, a police officer and US Customs Agent. He turned himself in a day later.
• [[On November 4, 2005, Texas Death Row Inmate Charles Victor Thompson escaped from the Harris County Jail by aquiring a set of street clothes and pretending to be a representative from the State Attorney General's office to fool the corrections officers. He was recaptured two days later in Shreveport, Louisiana, 200 miles from where he escaped.
• Richard Lee McNair has escaped from custody three times, including from a federal maximum-security prison in April 2006. He is still at large.
• Two men, including a man who plotted to kidnap the infant son of talk-show host David Letterman escape from a Montana prison in June 2007. Letterman's would-be kidnapper recaptured June 13, 2007.
• May 30th 2007 Matthew Sky Christensen escaped from Millard North High Maximum Security Prison along with Shamus Murphy. This escape caused a huge riot forcing the warden to transfer a large amount of the prison's inmates to Millard West High Minimum Security Prison. Matthew and Shamus are still at large.
• Claude Dallas escaped from a penitentiary in Idaho in 1986 and spent a year on the run.
• Elliot Bailey Cliffard, also known on stage as rapper El Matadore escaped from a Yorkshire Maximum Security Prison on July 4th 2007 after using brute force on the officers. The escape was said to be improvised although inmates said that he regularly labelled himself Houdini the disappearing danger man. Elliot is still at large.

1756 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Giacomo Casanova “Casanova” redirects here. ... model of a Stalag Luft III compound Stalag Luft III (Stammlager Luft, or Permanent Camp for Airmen #3) was a German Air Force prisoner-of-war camp during World War II that housed captured air force personnel. ... model of a Stalag Luft III compound Stalag Luft III (Stammlager Luft, or Permanent Camp for Airmen #3) was a German Air Force prisoner-of-war camp during World War II that housed captured air force personnel. ... This article or section includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... At the outbreak of civil war, Luther Libby was running a ship supply shop from the corner of a large warehouse in Richmond, Virginia. ... Libby Prison, located in Richmond, Virginia, was a former tobacco warehouse located on Tobacco Row, converted into prison used by the Confederacy to house captured Union officers during the American Civil War. ... Frank Morris AZ1441 Frank Lee Morris (September 1, 1926 - presumed dead June 11, 1962) was an American criminal who escaped from Alcatraz and was never seen again. ... John Anglin John William Anglin (May 2, 1930 - June 11, 1962?) was an American criminal who escaped from Alcatraz along with his brother Clarence and Frank Morris on June 11, 1962. ... Clarence Anglin, picture taken in Alcatraz. ... Alcatraz Island is located in the middle of San Francisco Bay in California. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... George Blake (born Georg Behar, November 11, 1922) is a former British spy who was actually a double agent for the Soviets. ... Entrance to Wormwood Scrubs prison Wormwood Scrubs is a British local prison, located on the south of Wormwood Scrubs in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. ... Colditz Castle in April 1945. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Safe-cracking is the process of opening a safe, generally without the combination. ... Alfred George Alfie Hinds (d. ... The Old Bailey. ... Fleet Street in 2005 Fleet Street is a famous street in London, England, named after the River Fleet. ... Jack Sheppard in Newgate Prison Jack Sheppard (December 1702 – 16 November 1724) was a notorious English robber, burglar and thief of early 18th century London. ... Lucien Rivard (b. ... A Canadian Newsmaker of the Year has been voted every year since 1946 by the Canadian Press. ... The Canadian Press (CP) is a Canadian news agency established in 1917 as a vehicle to permit Canadian newspapers of the day to exchange their news and information. ... Nickname: Location in the State of Virginia Coordinates: , Country United States State Virginia County Independent city Founded December 17, 1748 Government  - Mayor Annie M. Mickens Area  - City  23. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. ... Frank William Abagnale, Jr. ... The VC-10 airliner was designed and built by Vickers (part of the British Aircraft Corporation) in the 1960s. ... Hotlanta redirects here. ... Catch Me If You Can is a 2002 motion picture set in the 1960s. ... The Texas 7 was a group of criminals who escaped from the John Connally Unit near Kenedy, Texas. ... HM Prison Whitemoor is a prison near March, Cambridgeshire. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Marc Dutroux (born 6 November 1956 in Brussels) is a Belgian criminal, convicted of having, in 1995 and 1996, kidnapped, tortured and sexually abused six girls, ranging in age from 8 to 19, four of whom died as a result. ... This is a list of state prisons in the U.S. state of Arizona. ... Florence is a town located in Pinal County, Arizona. ... May 12 is the 132nd day of the year (133rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... Sedona is a city and community that straddles the county line between Coconino and Yavapai counties in the northern Verde Valley region of the U.S. state of Arizona. ... Official language(s) English Capital Phoenix Largest city Phoenix Area  Ranked 6th  - Total 113,998 sq mi (295,254 km²)  - Width 310 miles (500 km)  - Length 400 miles (645 km)  - % water 0. ... Brian Nichols Brian Gene Nichols (born December 10, 1971 in Baltimore, Maryland) is accused of shooting and killing Judge Rowland W. Barnes, court reporter Julie Brandau, and deputy sheriff Sgt. ... Fulton County is the name of a number of counties in the United States of America, most named for Robert Fulton, inventor of the first practical steamboat: Fulton County, Arkansas (This county was named after Governor William Savin Fulton, not Robert Fulton. ... This article is about the state capital of Georgia. ... Richard Lee McNair, 47, was serving three life sentences for murder, attempted murder, and burglary for crimes committed in North Dakota when he escaped in April 2006 from a prison facility in Pollock Louisiana. ... Claude Dallas Claude Dallas (born 1950 is a self-styled mountain man who killed two game wardens in rural Owyhee County, Idaho, in 1981. ... Official language(s) English [1] Capital Boise Largest city Boise Area  Ranked 14th  - Total 83,642 sq mi (216,632 km²)  - Width 305 miles (491 km)  - Length 479 miles (771 km)  - % water 0. ...

Escapes in popular culture

Non-fiction

• Escape from Alcatraz depicts the escape of Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers.
• The Great Escape involves the prisoners of a German prisoner of war camp digging their way to freedom from under a hut.
• The Wooden Horse also prisoners of a German prisoner of war camp who dug from underneath a vaulting horse
• Colditz based on the true story, depicts the fate of many imprisoned at Colditz Castle during World War II.

Escape from Alcatraz is a 1963 non-fiction book, written by J. Campbell Bruce, about the history of Alcatraz Penitentiary and the escape attempts, some successful, of the inmates. ... The Great Escape, written by James Clavell, W.R. Burnett, and Walter Newman (uncredited), and directed by John Sturges is a popular 1963 World War II film, based on a true story about Allied prisoners of war with a record for escaping from German prisoner-of-war camps. ... Geneva Convention definition A prisoner of war (POW) is a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. ... The Wooden Horse is a 1950 2nd World War film starring Leo Genn, Anthony Steel and David Tomlinson. ... The vault, formerly known as vaulting horse, is an artistic gymnastics apparatus. ... Colditz is a city in Saxony, Germany, located at the banks of the river Mulde. ... Colditz Castle in April 1945. ...

Fiction

• The Count of Monte Cristo depicts protagonist Edmond Dantès's falsified arrest and internment, years of isolation and finally recruitment into an escape from prison to exact revenge on his captors.
• The TV show Prison Break revolves around a complicated escape plan and the subsequent manhunt.
• The Shawshank Redemption from an American prison.
• Papillon French man escaping from island jails, based on real life.
• The 2001 Bandits movie follows its two main characters (the 'Sleepover Bandits') after an opportunistic escape in the beginning of the film.
• In Season three of 24, Jack Bauer breaks drug lord Ramon Salazar out of prison to avoid the release of a virus by his brother Hector Salazar.
• In Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent, Sam Fisher escapes prison with JBA member Jamie Washington.
• In the book Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Sirius Black is said to have escaped from Azkaban, a fictional wizard jail located on an island. Azkaban is meant to have a name similar to Alcatraz.
• In the movie and graphic novel V for Vendetta the main character V escapes from Larkhill Detention Centre by blowing up a part of the building from his cell.
• The prisoner in Midnight Express escapes from a Turkish prison.

The Count of Monte Cristo (French: Le Comte de Monte-Cristo) is an adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas, père. ... Prison Break is an American television series that premiered on the Fox Network on August 29, 2005. ... The Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 movie, directed by Frank Darabont, based on the Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. ... Paperback book cover for Papillon. ... Bandits is a 2001 comedy/crime/drama/romance movie directed by Barry Levinson. ... 24 is an Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning American television series created by Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran, and produced by Imagine Television. ... This article or section on a Television-related subject may need to be cleaned up and rewritten because it describes a work of fiction in a primarily in-universe style. ... Ramon Salazar is a fictional character in the video game, Resident Evil 4. ... Hector Salazar was a fictional character from the third season of the television series 24. ... This article is about the book. ... Sirius Black is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. ... Azkaban is the fictional wizard prison in the Harry Potter series of books by J. K. Rowling. ... Azkaban is the fictional wizard prison in the Harry Potter series of books by J. K. Rowling. ... Alcatraz Island is located in the middle of San Francisco Bay in California. ... This article is about the comic book series. ... Midnight Express is a 1978 fictionalized biographical film, based on the story of Billy Hayes, a young American sent to a Turkish prison for trying to smuggle hashish out of Turkey to the US. It stars Brad Davis, Irene Miracle, Bo Hopkins, Paolo Bonacelli, Paul L. Smith, Randy Quaid, Norbert...

See also

• Escape tunnel
• Rescue
• Helicopter prison escapes

An escape tunnel is a form of secret passage used as part of an escape from captivity. ... Rescue refers to operations that usually involve the saving of life, or prevention of injury. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

References

• Dowswell, Paul (1994). Tales of Real Escape. London, England: Usborne Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-7460-1669-7.