In the book "Papillon" (movie: Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman), the guy escapes several times from a South American prison, only to be caught and sent back. He chews on coca leaves to stave off exhaustion, and jogs across Central America.
I'm surprised they don't have 12V RV-TVs with no battery, just inmates that must pedal in order to watch the movies.
I studied for a year at the University of Texas Law School. I participated in a death row clinic, where we prepared appeal cases for convicts who had clearly suffered miscariages of justice. Whilst I was there the unit successfully got a Mexican guy off death row, through brilliant legal tactics. He was a clear two foot short of all witness descriptions of the killer, a good 50 pounds lighter, looked nothing like him, and in fact the only circumstantial evidence was that he happened to have the same name as the original suspect (the name being something very unique like Miguel Sanchez). The original suspect was an American born Mexican American, who spoke English, our guy was an illegal Mexican immigrant who couldn't speak English, and had proceeded to trial (and conviction) with a drunk incompetant attorney.
I will never forget the drive into the death row prison when we would visit, and the stench of the pig farm. Basically you get the option of working for your keep, and if you don't, you get put into a cell that is about the size of a small van. Don't think I am a bleeding heart. Some of the guys in that place were hardcore, like tormented dogs. The things those guys would say to some of the girls in the clinic when we walked past their cells would make Max Hardcore blush.