writing-questions-answered:

Anonymous asked: I’m not sure if anyone’s asked this already, but do you know of any resources that explain what living on the run would be like for a criminal? (Crimes would be theft, burglary, robbery, etc.) Like, being a modern-day outlaw and having to use fake identification and trying to blend in and not be noticed? The setting would be modern America. I’ve searched far and wide for information on this subject and haven’t found anything, so any help is appreciated! 🙂

Wow. There is a dearth of information on this topic, but I did manage to find some sources that might be helpful:

This article at Livesafely.org has a lot of information about how to vanish yet hide in plain sight. 

Here’s a disheartening step-by-step guide to help runaway teens live on the street. =

Here’s an article about software designer John McAfee, who was apparently on the run from authorities in Belize. It has a few details about tricks he used and what his life on the run was like. More info, with video.

A little bit of info in the story of another criminal on the run.

Two others on the run.

And another.

And one more.

Here’s an episode of a UK real crime TV show, which details the story of a bodybuilder on the run from authorities in the US and UK.

You might also try watching some movies about people on the run.

This episode of radio program This American Life details people who are “hiding in plain sight.” It costs 99 cents to download from iTunes or Amazon, and it isn’t about criminals in hiding (although the last story is about criminals), but it might give you some good ideas about how easy it can be to hide in plain sight.

A few basic tips on blending in.

A book about going into hiding, if you’re able to spend money.

You might also try looking at survivalist web sites and forums to see if there are any articles or threads on the topic.

I hope these sources will give you at least some idea. Luckily, it’s one of those wide open subjects where you can probably get away with any details you want to create.