Historical Jailbreaks In US: 2 Prisoners Absconding From Alabama Prison

Of the 12 prisoners that escaped from Walker County Jail in Alabama on Sunday, 10 have been captured but two still remain at large. It remains unclear as to when or how the inmates fled the jail, authorities said.

"A $500 reward is being offered for information that leads to an arrest of the escapees. Contact the Sheriff's Office at (205) 302-6464. The Sheriff has activated off duty personnel and the Jasper Police Department [JPD] is providing assistance. Parrish Police, Constables, and ALEA Aviation Unit with FLIR have provided assistance as well," according to a Facebook post by Walker County Sheriff's Office.

The JPD also cautioned people in the downtown residence on its Facebook page to stay indoors and switch on all outdoor lighting.

Read: Georgia Governor Thanks Officials Who Chased Down Escaped Prison Inmates

In recent jailbreaks, inmates have taken advantage of prison infrastructure. In June, four prisoners climbed through Oklahoma's Lincoln County Jail's ventilation system and escaped, out of which two of them fled the jail using the same method they had in the past, CNN reported.

There have been a few historic jailbreaks in U.S. history. We take a look at five such prison outbreaks.

1. On June 6, 2015, the daring prison break executed by David Sweat and Richard Matt from the Clinton Correctional Facility in New York State made headlines around the world. The first of its kind in the facility's 150-year history. Matt was sentenced to 25 years to life for dismembering a man, and his fellow inmate, Sweat, was given a life sentence for killing a sheriff’s deputy. Sweat was not even allowed to apply for parole.

The duo definitely drew inspiration from the 1994 Oscar-nominated movie "The Shawshank Redemption" as they smuggled power tools into their cells which, they used to cut holes through the steel walls of their cells. They made their way out by making a tunnel under the 30 feet high walls of the prison.

Matt and Sweat also took some tips from the 1979 movie "Escape From Alcatraz" using dummies of themselves with towels and clothing piled under the blankets in their bunks and dummy heads positioned on their pillows, successfully fooling the guards during night-time checks. However, the inmates' escape did not lead to freedom for long. Three weeks later Matt was killed by the police while Sweat was shot twice before being taken into custody and sent to a hospital for treatment, rediff.com reported.

2. On Sept. 11, 2014, Chardon school shooter T.J. Lane and two other inmates escaped from the Allen Oakwood Correctional Institution in Lima, Ohio, with the help of a ladder that they built from old cabinets. The three had spent several months making the 13 1/2-foot ladder, which they assembled from materials that they gathered by sneaking into a locked crawl space, cleveland.com reported.

Authorities took all three men into custody within nine hours.

3. On Dec. 13, 2000, George Rivas, who was 30 at the time, masterminded the biggest prison escape in Texan history and also killed a police officer. Rivas, who was serving 18 consecutive sentences for kidnapping and burglary, staged an escape along with six others by physically overpowering 16 people, including the guards, civilian maintenance men, and even three other prisoners not involved with the plan. They made their way to a maintenance truck and drove away. Eventually, they were all captured and were given death sentences, according to the website Criminal Justice Degrees Guide. Rivas was executed in 2012, reports said.

Read: Inmate In South Carolina Prison Escapes Using Tools Dropped Off By Drone, Cell Phone

4. After three dozen prisoners made 14 unsuccessful attempts to escape from Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary in California, on June 11, 1962, brothers John and Clarence Anglin and Frank Morris escaped from the prison, never to be found again. This is one of the most infamous prison escapes in U.S. history. They cut the walls using tools and climbed to the roof, they then scaled down a 50-foot wall using a kitchen pipe and seemingly escaped on rafts fashioned from the rubber raincoats issued to the prisoners. One of the prisoners, Allen West, could not get out of his room in time and so returned and later divulged the details to jail authorities.

Despite rigorous investigations, the three men were never found; some suspected they drowned while trying to make it to the shore, but till da, e there is no evidence, according to reports.

5. On March 3, 1934, John Dillinger escaped from the Crown Point County Jail using only a wooden gun. Later, he claimed that he had made the gun from a block of wood, a razor handle and a coat of black shoe polish. He used the wooden gun to scare off a pair of guards who released Dillinger before realizing that the weapon was fake. He then stole the sheriff's car and drove away to Chicago. However, three months after, he was shot by federal agents, reports said.