Plainfield Juvenile Correctional Facility - Escape Attempts and Security Concerns

Escape Attempts and Security Concerns

In 1951, Charles Manson escaped from the facility along with two other boys. All three were later recaptured in Utah.

In November 1971, three boys successfully escaped from IBS by breaking a window in a game room and running from the grounds. The trio was apprehended several days later walking down a nearby street. Two other boys escaped by beating a guard, Lawrence Thompson, and stealing his car. Superintendent Alfred Bennett blamed the escapes on a lack of maximum-security facilities.

In January 1972, eight boys escaped after beating a guard. The group flagged down a passing motorist and forced him to drive them to Indianapolis. Six were apprehended the following day in Indianapolis, while the remaining two were caught in Hendricks County.

An outbreak of escape attempts in the early 1990s caused the facility to add a fence in late 1994. One particular escape in April 1993 caused the surrounding community to demand changes at IBS. Two teenage escapees attacked a Plainfield woman in her home and severely beat her during their six-day run from the law. In particular, the surrounding communities protested allowing boys to wear street clothes at IBS, which made it difficult to identify escapees.