On the Lam: Great (and Not So Great) Escapes from Prison

By Lorna Poplak

Book Overview

Finalist, 2026 Brass Knuckles Award for Best Nonfiction Crime Book (Crime Writers of Canada)

Fascinating stories of the age-old tug-of-war between prisons struggling to keep inmates inside and escapees desperate to get out.

A convict who returned to the prison he had recently escaped from in a vain attempt 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 seized in Canada after being featured on America's Most Wanted; a repeat escapee who shot himself, preferring death to recapture; a serial killer on the prowl in a small community -- these are just a few of the felons whose prison break escapades continue to enthrall and terrify.

Along with probing the origins, structure, and shortcomings of a variety of historic and contemporary correctional institutions, On the Lam brings into sharp focus the attempts -- sometimes successful, occasionally deadly -- of masterminds, tricksters, scoundrels, and innocents to claw their way to freedom.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1459754379
• ISBN13: 9781459754379
• Release Date: November 2025
• Publisher: Dundurn Press
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.9" x 8.8"