Source: https://www.grunge.com/1172545/why-it-is-legal-to-attempt-to-escape-prison-in-germany-and-some-other-countries/

According to Half As Interesting’s YouTube video Why Breaking Out of Prison Is Legal in Germany, the Reichstag, which was 1880s legislative body of what was then the German Empire, declared people’s right to self-liberation, which included the right to attempt to escape if imprisoned. Countries that recognize this right consider the right to freedom and the right to seek freedom as separate entities that are not governed by the same laws.

This isn’t to say that if you do manage to escape from prison you’re guaranteed freedom from then on; if authorities find a prisoner post-escape, they can bring them back to jail to finish out the rest of their sentence. However, no additional time will be added to the sentence; the attempt isn’t punished in this manner.

  • jimmydoreisaleftyOP
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    1 year ago

    edit: quote added

    Yes, you are right. Any crimes done while trying to escape will add to your sentence.

    There might be consequences within the prison, however. Despite escapes not being illegal, they are against the rules within the prison, and breaking these rules could result in the person serving time getting denied parole. Furthermore, it’s likely that escaping will entail committing entirely new crimes, such as bribery, theft, or destruction of property, and those crimes are not excused by the law because they were committed in service of a legal prison break.