Fugitive

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For other uses, see The Fugitive (disambiguation).

Fugitives are often profiled in the media in order to be apprehended, such as in the TV show America's Most
Wanted.

A fugitive (or runaway) is a person who is fleeing from custody, whether it be from jail, a
government arrest, government or non-government questioning, vigilante violence, or outraged
private individuals. A fugitive from justice, also known as a wanted person, can be a person who is
either convicted or accused of a crime and hiding from law enforcement in the state or taking refuge
in a different country in order to avoid arrest.[1]
A fugitive from justice alternatively has been defined as a person formally charged with a crime or a
convicted criminal whose punishment has not yet been determined or fully served who is currently
beyond the custody or control of the national or sub-national government or international criminal
tribunal with an interest in his or her arrest. This latter definition adopts the perspective of the
pursuing government or tribunal, recognizing that the charged (versus escaped) individual does not
necessarily realize that they are officially a wanted person (e.g., due to a case of mistaken identity or
reliance on a sealed indictment), and therefore may not be fleeing, hiding, or taking refuge to avoid
arrest.[2] The fugitive from justice is ‘international’ (versus ‘domestic’) if wanted by law enforcement
authorities across a national border.[3]
Interpol is the international organization with no legal authority to directly pursue or detain fugitives of
any kind.[4] Europol is the European authority for the pursuit of fugitives who are on the run within
Europe, and coordinates their search, while national authorities in the probable country of their stay
coordinate their arrest. In the United States, the U.S. Marshals Service is the primary law
enforcement agency that tracks down federal fugitives, though the Federal Bureau of
Investigation also tracks fugitives.
As a verbal metaphor and psychological concept, one might also be described as a "fugitive from
oneself". Finally, the literary sense of "fugitive" includes the meaning of simply "fleeing".
In many jurisdictions, a fugitive who flees custody while a trial is underway loses the right
to appeal any convictions or sentences imposed on him, since the act of fleeing is deemed to flout
the court's authority. Recently, convicted rapist Andrew Luster had his appeals denied on the basis
that he spent six months as a fugitive (he was convicted in absentia).[5][6][7]

Contents
  1Terminology
 2Methods of finding fugitives
 3See also
 4References
 5External links

Terminology[edit]
While a person is being sought for potential arrest, the person may be described variously as being
"at large" or as a "person of interest" to law enforcement. The latter term is frequently used in an "All-
points bulletin" issued to other law enforcement persons or agencies. A person who has jumped
bail after arraignment in court may be hunted or pursued by his bail bondsman, and a bounty may be
"on his head." The act of fleeing from the jurisdiction of a court is described colloquially as "fleeing
justice" or "running from the Law." A "wanted poster" may be issued, especially by the FBI,
culminating in the "FBI's Most Wanted List" of fugitives.
"On the lam" or "on the run" often refers to fugitives. Mencken's The American Language and The
Thesaurus of American Slang proclaim that lam, lamister, and "on the lam"—all referring to a hasty
departure—were common in thieves' slang before the turn of the 20th century. Mencken quotes a
newspaper report on the origin of 'lam' which actually traces it indirectly back to Shakespeare's time.
Its origin should be obvious to anyone who runs over several colloquial phrases for leavetaking,
such as 'beat it' and 'hit the trail'. The allusion in 'lam' is to 'beat,' and 'beat it' is Old English, meaning
'to leave.' During the period of George Ade's 'Fables in Slang' (1900), cabaret society delight in
talking slang, and 'lam' was current. Like many other terms, it went under in the flood of new usages
of those days, but was preserved in criminal slang. A quarter of a century later it reappeared.
Mencken also quotes a story from the New York Herald Tribune newspaper in 1938 which reported
that "one of the oldest police officers in New York said that he had heard 'on the lam' thirty years
ago."

Methods of finding fugitives[edit]

Various methods[8] can be used to find fugitives. Phone taps and pen registers can be used on
relatives. Credit card and cell phone activities and electronic transfer of money can also be
traced. Wanted posters and rewards can also be used.[9] Jail records are also sometimes used; for
instance, after the U.S. Government determined that Timothy McVeigh had perpetrated
the Oklahoma City Bombing, he was found in a local jail.
Other methods include using anonymous tips from members of the public who may have seen sight
of the fugitive; CCTV and other modes of technology; news broadcasting of public awareness
(depending on the severity of the crime the fugitive has commited), and co-operation with local law
enforcement teams.

See also[edit]
 America's Most Wanted
 Bounty hunter
 Diplomatic Security Service (DSS)
 Extradition
 FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
 Fugitive peasants
 Fugitive slaves
  The Hunt With John Walsh
 I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang
 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
 Interpol
 Manhunt (law enforcement)
 Outlaw
 Prison escape
 United States Marshals Service

References[edit]
1. ^ "Fugitive from Justice legal definition of Fugitive from Justice.
Fugitive from Justice synonyms by the Free Online Law Dictionary".
Legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com. Retrieved 2012-01-31.
2. ^ Sadoff, David A. (2016-12-24). Bringing International Fugitives to
Justice: Extradition and its Alternatives. Cambridge University Press.
pp. 30–31, 33. ISBN 9781107129283.
3. ^ Sadoff, David A. (2016-12-24). Bringing International Fugitives to
Justice: Extradition and its Alternatives. Cambridge University Press.
p. 30. ISBN 9781107129283.
4. ^ "Legal materials / About INTERPOL / Internet / Home -
INTERPOL". www.interpol.int.
5. ^ "California Courts - Appellate Court Case
Information". appellatecases.courtinfo.ca.gov.
6. ^ Supreme Court of the United States Docket for 03-854, Andrew
Stuart v. California December 11, 2003
7. ^ "Legal Blog Network - FindLaw" (PDF). Findlaw.
8. ^ Nyagudi, Nyagudi Musandu. "Intelligence Studies in Forensic
Criminology of Fugitive Emanating Definitive and Locational
Parameters – dissertation without errata" (PDF). Figshare. Figshare
repository. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
9. ^ Most-Wanted: How Officials Find Fugitives

External links[edit]
Look up fugitive in
Wiktionary, the free
dictionary.

 AMW.com
 Fugitives wanted by FBI
 Interpol Wanted List – Recent
 Fugitives wanted by US Marshals
Categories:
 Escape
 Fugitives
 Law enforcement terminology
 Travelers
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