Inmates slip away en route to halfway houses

Documents obtained by The Associated Press show that more than 240 inmates have slipped away from federal custody in the past three years while traveling to halfway houses.

And several of those inmates committed bank robberies and a carjacking while on the lam.

Records show that the inmates who absconded from 2012 through 2014 include some with histories of violence and misconduct while in prison – according to prison officials.

The federal Bureau of Prisons each year permits thousands of inmates it considers low risk to serve the final months of their sentences at halfway houses, where they travel un-escorted.

Records show 327 inmates were placed on escaped status during those years. That includes roughly 65 who were simply late arrivals. The remaining few occurred during travel for other purposes.