On the Lam

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 break out; a murderer on the run who veered from folk hero to persona non grata after killing a famous police dog; a fugitive from the United States who was recaptured in Canada after she was featured on Americas 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.