

Escapees manage to evade this by studying the length of time between passes, waiting until it is on the other side, or using the cover of darkness.Īn uncommon method that has been used at times involves the digging of a tunnel under the facility that exits outside the facility.

Outside the fences is often a perimeter patrol conducted by an officer in a vehicle, which stands as the final line of defense. These fences are also watched by one or more guards from a tower, but escapees manage to pass the fence when the guard is turned away, unable to see in the dark, or sleeping on the job. Escapees manage to scale these fences successfully or cut holes in the fences, damaging them. Most prisons are contained on the outside by one or more fences, often topped with barbed wire or razor wire. Prisoners often destroy their containment with homemade tools, smuggled objects, or other contraband. Methods include the destruction of the cell or compound walls, squeezing through tight spaces, or entering off-limits areas. Some prisoners have escaped by picking the locks on their cells, creating keys to their cells, sawing bars off of the doors or windows, carving away the walls, or breaking away the vent.Ĭontainment penetration involves breaking down or slipping through the physical containment of the prison, including that of the cell itself or the surrounding complex.

Even those who are allowed out of their cells at times still have plans that involve escape from their cells.Ĭell escapes occur through either the door, the window, the light, the ventilation system, by breaking down the walls, or by tunneling underground. Many prisoners who are kept in their cells must find ways out of the cells. While some prisoners are allowed out of their cells at times, others remain locked in their cells most of the time, particularly those in solitary confinement. In some instances, a combination of these are used. The following are methods that have commonly been used by prisoners in escapes. Since prisoners usually have a lot of time in which they are doing nothing, this gives them plenty of time to think, allowing them to devise plans and figure out ways to escape. Weaknesses that are found as prisoners escape are often corrected at numerous prisons around the world to prevent future escapes in a similar manner. Many escapes have been successfully conducted by inmates who have invented their own methods. Numerous methods have been used to escape from prisons over time. Many prisons use security features such as CCTV, perimeter sensors, barred windows, high walls, barbed wire, razor wire, and electric fencing to prevent escapes. In Germany, and a number of other countries, it is considered human nature to want to escape from a prison and it is considered as a violation of the right of freedom, so escape is not penalized in itself (in the absence of other factors such as threats of violence, actual violence, or property damage). Escaping from prison is also a criminal offense in some countries, such as the United States and Canada, and it is highly likely to result in time being added to the inmate's sentence, as well as the inmate being placed under increased security that is most likely a maximum security prison or supermax prison. Normally, when this occurs, an effort is made on the part of authorities to recapture them and return them to their original detainers. Escape of the prisoners from the Limoeiro, at Lisbon, 29 April 1847, during the Patuleia civil war.Ī prison escape (referred as a bust out, breakout, jailbreak, or prison break) is the act of an inmate leaving prison through unofficial or illegal ways.
