On the lam : great (and not so great) escapes from prison Cover Image

Book

On the lam : great (and not so great) escapes from prison / Lorna Poplak.

Summary:

"Fascinating stories of the age-old tug-of-war between prisons desperate to keep inmates inside and the escapees pursuing freedom. A convict who returned to the prison he had recently escaped from to foment a mass breakout; a murderer on the run who veered from folk hero to persona non grata after killing a police dog; a fugitive from the United States who was recaptured in Canada after she was featured on America's Most Wanted ... these are just a few of the felons whose prison break adventures continue to enthrall and terrify. Along with probing the origins, structure, and failings of a collection of historic and contemporary correctional institutions, On the Lam brings into sharp focus the attempts of masterminds, tricksters, villains, and innocents to claw their way to freedom ... sometimes successful, sometimes abortive, often deadly."-- Provided by publisher.

Record details

ISBN: 9781459754379 (trade paperback)
Physical Description: ix, 212 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm
Publisher: Toronto, ON : Dundurn Press, [2025]
Copyright: ©2025

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:	Includes bibliographical references and index.
Formatted Contents Note:	Introduction -- 1. Dead man's trousers -- 2. Smokescreens -- 3. Revisiting the big house -- 4. High flyer -- 5. Maximum security -- 6. A dog's life -- 7. "le grand gangster" -- 8. Marking time -- 9. Fare and foul -- 10. There be monsters -- 11. Porous walls -- 12. "Run, Bambi, run" -- 13. Blade runners -- 14. Island retreat -- 15. Unlawfully at large -- 16. With a little help.