Top 10: Biggest Jailbreaks in U.S. History — Where New Orleans Stands

In your breakdown: The biggest prison escapes in American history, where New Orleans stands on the list.

Our attention was centered on jailbreaks and prison escapes in the U.S. over the past century, utilizing archival data from the FBI, along with vintage newspapers and historical sources for our research. This list might not cover everything, yet it showcases numerous breakouts that garnered significant media attention during the past hundred years.

The most recent jailbreak from New Orleans' jail It was not the largest. In December 1968, 21 prisoners broke out of Orleans Parish Jail. A report in The New York Times published on the same day as the breakout states.

Twenty-one hazardous felons broke through the ceiling of the attic and fled from the Orleans Parish Prison, a jam-packed detention center likened to a "vermin-filled 16th-century mental institution."

In 1974, ten prisoners broke out of Dade County Jail in Florida. Among them was an individual waiting for his trial related to a double homicide; this person murdered a convenience store employee during their time at large and remained at large for over 100 days before being apprehended.

In 1968, nine inmates broke out of Utah State Prison, among them were two individuals sentenced to death.

Additional significant prison breaks involve an incident in Clovis, New Mexico, where eight prisoners scaled utility pipes and made a breach through the ceiling. In 1977, seven inmates, which included James Earl Ray, broke free from Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary.

Additionally, significant prison breaks occurred in Kenedy, Texas, in the year 2000, and in Boydton, Virginia, back in 1984. Specifically, six individuals from death row managed to escape during the incident in Boydton.

These pale in comparison to some escape events elsewhere around the globe. However, regarding the United States, New Orleans has made this list two times now.

New Orleans: Two Times Chosen

• May 2025 – Ten prisoners fled from the Orleans Justice Center. Five remain at large.
• December 1968 – Twenty-one prisoners broke through the attic and fled according to what The New York Times referred to as an escape. “rat-infested 16th-century asylum.”

Other Major U.S. Jailbreaks

• Dade County, FL (1974)

  • 11 inmates fled. Among them was an individual waiting for a trial related to a double homicide. This person later murdered a convenience store employee during their escape — but they were not apprehended. over 100 days .

• Utah State Prison (1968)

  • 9 escapees including two who were on death row.

• Clovis, NM (date unknown)

  • 8 inmates enlarged plumbing pipes and cut through the rooftop.

• Brushy Mountain, TN (1977)

  • 7 inmates escaped — including James Earl Ray the murderer who was convicted for killing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

• Kenedy, TX (2000)

  • 6 inmates escaped from a privately run jail. Everyone was eventually apprehended.

• Boydton, VA (1984)

  • 6 death row inmates fled — one of the biggest prison breaks in U.S. history.

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