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Topics: Crime, True crime, World News
Poppy Bilderbeck
Multiple countries don't punish prisoners for attempting to or successfully escaping prison as long as they don't break other laws while doing so.
Yep, you read that right. If you decide to take your chances and break out of prison in several countries then you won't even be punished for the act - as long as you do it in a demure and mindful fashion of course.
It's like hit series Prison Break but without nearly as much of the tension.
It's not quite as straight forward as breaking out of prison, however, you see fit and walking off scot free.
The escape has to be considered a 'walkaway' escape which doesn't involve any other type of crime i.e. theft, threat, bribery. property damage or violence, Dr T. Markus Funk explains on the Oxford University Comparative Law Forum.
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Basically, should you be caught following breaking out, prosecutors could charge you with any crimes you committed during or after the escape, but for the escape itself?
Well, you'd not have a single day added to your sentence for the act of breaking out in certain countries.
But which countries can you do this in?
It's good news if you're in prison in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Austria, Mexico or Chile.
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Germany's argument for letting prisoners walk out of prison scot free as long as they've not committed any other crime in the process is because of human beings' innate 'urge to be free'.
Basically, the country's 'basic law' - which has been in place since the 1800s - deems it immoral to deny people their natural 'instinct to escape'. And it doesn't matter who the prisoner is, how many crimes they've committed or the severity of their crimes either.
However, even if prisoners do escape in Germany without breaking any other laws, should they be caught, it's reportedly likely they will be locked back up in more secure conditions given they're considered such a flight risk.
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Mexico follows suit with this argument, the Federal Penal Code reading: "[N]o sanction will be applied to the prisoner who escapes, except when he acts in concert [with others to effect an escape]."
The Netherlands argues if a prisoner sees a way out of prison and doesn't take it that it's essentially a form of self-punishment in not taking advantage of a good opportunity.
Switzerland is reported as arguing escaping prison without breaking any laws in doing so is essentially harmless and is also a form of self-enrichment.
Austria's law doesn't list walkaway escape as illegal either and it's the same with Belgium too.
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Over on Reddit, people shared their thoughts, as one was surprised that more countries had a similar rule after initially thinking 'Mexico was the only one'.
Meanwhile, a second said: "If I'm ever put in prison you can be damn sure I'm going to be playing the escape room for the rest of my life."