History Main / WrongfulAccusationInsurance

** The [[SpiritualSuccessor Spiritual Predecessor]] ''VideoGame/Fahrenheit'' (AKA ''Indigo Prophecy'') has the same thing happen to Lucas Kane, especially since he's never [[spoiler:cleared for the murder he commits at the start of the game under the influence of a ritual]]. Additionally, he escapes police custody and assaults several cops. Then again, [[spoiler:he's legally dead, and the lead detective on the case is now his LoveInterest]], so it's possible he's simply living off-the-grid.

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* While there isn't anywhere on Earth that plays this ''completely'' straight, there are some places where the law expressly forbids punishing someone for exercising their natural "desire for freedom". Sure, they'll still do their damnedest to get you back, as well as try you for any crimes committed during your escape, but not for the act itself (e.g. escaping from jail without breaking any laws vs. escaping from jail by murdering your guards). However, on the other side of the coin, some places such as Germany punish escape attempts by doubling your sentence ''and then holding you to it even if you are later exonerated of the crime for which you were imprisoned in the first place''.

* Subverted in one episode of ''StarskyAndHutch''. When Hutch is wrongly charged with murdering his ex-wife, Starsky is ordered to bring Hutch in. However, in the middle of arresting him, Starsky instead handcuffs the accompanying officer to a table and effectively kidnaps Hutch to track down the real killer, probably exposing ''himself'' to more serious obstruction charges than Hutch.

* ''VideoGame/{{Dishonored}}'': even if Corvo makes it though the game without killing anyone there is still the fact that he broke out of prison, damaged state property, assaulted several people, sold several people into slavery, [[KleptomaniacHero stole a ton of stuff]], many cases of breaking and entering and other crimes (a lot of them arguably unrelated to proving his innocence). It does help that in [[MultipleEndings two endings]], [[spoiler:he becomes the [[ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem regent]] for empress Emily; on the other hand, he's still wanted in the Bad ending, and quits the Empire anyway]].

* In ''Anime/{{Monster}}'', Tenma breaks out of jail and shoots some people. However, since all of his actions are justified, and his [[ClearMyName name is cleared]] due to having a good attorney, a criminal psychologist, and a cop's thorough testimony on his side, the trope is averted.
* Subverted in ''OutlawStar''. What's the first thing Gene does upon his return to Sentinel? Jail time. [[spoiler: Turns out that meeting [[SufficientlyAdvancedAliens robot God]] doesn't excuse you from overdue parking tickets or leaving the planet without clearence - even if intergalactic pirates are to blame. Fred paid bail though, so it's alright (or, considering how much Gene already owes Fred, maybe not)]].

* Commonly played straight in every [[Franchise/HarryPotter HP]] fanfic that uses this plot, actually. Probably justified by the fact that he was locked up in ''very'' irregular circumstances, to the point where any criminal investigation would be focused on the people who locked him up in the first place.
** In other fics, he's officially declared guilty of the relatively smaller crimes but, since the time he previously spent in Azkaban is more than the combined sentence one can get for them, he officially already served it.

* The movie ''Film/TheNegotiator'' is built around this trope. Samuel Jackson's character takes over an office building and holds people hostage, but it's all right as long as he catches the bad guy in the end.

* Taken UpToEleven in ''Film/TheMask''. Stanley Ipkiss is not only not tried for the crimes he committed in order to take down the BigBad (breaking out of custody, stealing a car, stealing a gun, holding a police officer hostage), he is also not tried for a bank robbery he committed much earlier under the influence of the titular mask, and which could probably be linked to him. Justified in that a large number of local dignitaries saw him take down the BigBad, and are explicitly stated to be willing to look the other way.
** Also justified in that the BigBad was ''also'' wearing the mask that influenced Ipkiss to do the above in the first place, in public in front of witnesses; everyone just assumes that ''he'' was responsible for the above as well, and that Ipkiss was set up.
* In the SylvesterStallone version of ''Film/JudgeDredd'', Dredd is wrongfully convicted of murder. Despite knowing he's innocent, he strictly adheres to the law and allows himself to be stripped of his rank as a Judge and sent to Aspen maximum security prison to serve a life sentence... But when the transport is shot down en-route and he finds out the real killer's identity and what his plans are, he sneaks back into MegaCity One, infiltrates the headquarters of the Judges, and directly or indirectly leads to the death of about a dozen of his former colleagues. And at the end of it all, he not only doesn't get called out on his tactics, he's offered the position of Chief Justice!
** Of course, this is likely [[JustifiedTrope justified]] by the fact that it's set in a BadFuture dictatorial city-state, and they could presumably let him off for it all.

* [[AConspiracyOfPaper Benjamin Weaver]], the protagonist of David Liss' historical mysteries finds himself framed for a crime in the second (and so far final) book in the series after being [[KangarooCourt treated unfairly in court]] by a judge who was formerly his friend. After being helped to escape, he breaks into the judges house and then ''[[JackBauerInterrogationTechnique slices off his ear]]'' to get him to explain his odd behavior. Mind you, this is done in a period where almost every crime is punishable by death and he really only escapes prosecution because the judge was involved in a political conspiracy (he was blackmailed into acting unfairly toward the protagonist) and forced to flee the country.

* The ''TransformersAnimated'' ChooseYourOwnAdventure book "Prime Suspect". [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Prime_Suspect As TFWiki summarizes it]]:

* In ''TheOutsiders'', Ponyboy is on trial for running away from home. In a variation, he truly believes himself guilty of killing a Soc, but the Socs testifying say that Johnny did it. He resolves himself to set them straight, but to his surprise the judge never gives him the chance (read: doesn't ask him about the killing) when questioning him. He gets off with a "Not Guilty" verdict.

* In Stieg Larsson's ''[[TheMillenniumTrilogy Millennium]]'' series, the protagonist commits a long series of crimes (theft, forgery, computer hacking, illegal border crossing, unlawful use of a weapon, assault, attempted murder and so on) to get rid of the bad guys and the Swedish authorities end up by bringing her to a trial. The trope gets subverted by the fact her friends uncover such a grand network of crimes and conspiracies involving a great deal of people that the prosecutor simply drops all charges to get himself out of the mess before the judge reached a verdict.

* The show ''BurnNotice'' seems to be working towards this. Though the main character might just be good enough that he'll be allowed back into whereverhe was burned from because ''they don't know''...

* Happens every couple of episodes on ''TheDukesOfHazzard''. (And if Boss Hogg really wants to arrest them, why doesn't he just get them for the car chase in last week's episode?) There's also the fact that the average lifespan of a Hazzard County police car is measured in days...
* ''PrisonBreak'' ends with something like this for some of the characters who survive to that point. Notably, only Lincoln Burrows was innocent of his crime; Michael Scofield robbed a bank to get into prison to free Lincoln and the other escapees were legitimate felons but the MacGuffin was the WrongfulAccusationInsurance for all of them [[spoiler: except T-Bag]].

* One episode of ''{{Monk}}'', "Mr. Monk Is On the Run," features the titular character escaping from jail to clear himself of a false murder.
** In the course of his time as a fugitive, Monk gets help from Natalie, who supplies him money and clothes, and Stottlemeyer, who helps him fake his death. Both of these people could have faced charges of aiding and abetting a state fugitive. Later on, when cornered by the corrupt sheriff who set Monk up at a Nevada car wash, Monk and Natalie attack him, with Natalie using a fire extinguisher on him, then escape by stealing his car, which could see them facing being charged with auto theft.
** On the other hand, given that Monk averted an assassination attempt on the state governor in the end, he could have gotten a pardon and hence the trope could be averted.
* DoubleSubversion in ''LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit''. A man escapes from prison to clear his name after his son falsely accused him of molesting him. Olivia discovers the truth, and the governor sentences the man...to time served for escaping, which essentially amounts to a release.

* ''LoisAndClark'' when Lois was accused of murder and Superman helped break her out. Justified, as the lawyer prosecuting her helped frame her and the DA's office wanted to put the whole mess behind them.
* ''{{JAG}}'' featured a DoubleSubversion: the man who took Admiral Chegwidden hostage was sentenced to 8 years, then got time served for the time he spent in prison for treason.

* {{Subverted}}, possibly [[DoubleSubverted twice]], by the sixth season ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode "Suspicions". Dr. Crusher performs an autopsy on a scientist she believes was murdered, in direct violation of his people's law[[note]]The Ferengi sell the body parts of their dead for some level of profit. An autopsy "damages" the goods, making them unsellable.[[/note]], resulting in Picard removing her from her post as ship's doctor and stripping her of her rank pending a court martial. Although she eventually proves her case afterward, the end of the episode makes it clear that her career's hanging by a thread regardless... [[StatusQuoIsGod and yet she's right back on duty in the next episode like nothing ever happened]]. We can assume that [[SnapBack the court martial exonerated her off-screen]], but since the affair is never mentioned again, there's really no way to be sure. It may have helped that [[spoiler:she actually caught the killer. And proved the scientist's work is valid, ensuring the man's family can still sell the technology for the money they lost for what she did to his body, which of course is a very persuasive argument for the Ferengi.]]

* Subverted and then played straight in ''HomeAndAway''. Kane Phillips is arrested when he is caught with the proceeds of an armed robbery and a shotgun in his car. The robbery was committed by his father Gus, who tricked Kane into picking him up and then abandoned him. The man who forced Gus into the robbery then identifes Kane as the perp, and Gus himself arranges for Scott, Kane's imprisoned brother, to stitch up Kane at his trial. In the middle of the trial, during the jury's deliberations, Kane and his wife skip town and he is found guilty in absentia. Three years later Kane is captured and is charged with a number of robberies that he committed while on the run. To protect Kirsty and their son, Kane pleads guilty to these and accepts jailtime. However, later in the year, Kane decides to appeal and is somehow released even though he was never exonerated for the original robbery, to say nothing of the ones he did commit.

[[folder: Real Life ]]

* While there isn't anywhere on Earth that plays this ''completely'' straight, there are some places where the law expressly forbids punishing someone for exercising their natural "desire for freedom". Sure, they'll still do their damnedest to get you back, as well as try you for any crimes committed during your escape, but not for the act itself (e.g. escaping from jail without breaking any laws vs. escaping from jail by murdering your guards). However, on the other side of the coin, some places such as Germany punish escape attempts by doubling your sentence ''and then holding you to it even if you are later exonerated of the crime for which you were imprisoned in the first place''.
* Also, juries of your peers can make it less likely for anyone in this situation to be ''convicted'' (people are generally not inclined to throw innocent people back in jail for the crime of trying to escape an unjust punishment, particular as, in several of the fictional examples, they were accused under fraudulent or false pretenses in the first place), though it won't stop them getting charged.
* The trope may be played straight sometimes with two conditions: when TheHero's unlawful actions are comparatively minor and when the evidence he or she leaves behind is too flimsy for the authorities to build a case against him or her. However, too many people tend to take the trope at face value and seek their justice in a manner a bit ''too'' rough [[DontTryThisAtHome to get free out of jail]].
* Played straight with a little known, and less used, concept in American law called "Jury Nullification" where a jury may decide that either the circumstances surrounding the crime require the jury to ignore the law or in cases where the government's actions are so egregious that a jury simply refuses to convict.
[[/folder]]

* The character Preacher in ''TwistedMetal: Black'' fights in the tournament -- committing no small number of homicides, with many of the victims being innocent bystanders, in the process -- with the intention of clearing his name for a mass murder he committed under the influence of a powerful demon during an attempted exorcism. [[spoiler:Subverted somewhat in that it turns out Preacher was, in fact, guilty of the crime for which he sought to clear his name -- he was not possessed by a demon, merely criminally insane, and the event at which he committed the murders was a baptism, not an exorcism.]]

* Played very straight in ''HeavyRain''. [[spoiler: Ethan Mars is being chased by the entire police force, thinking him to be the Origami Killer (he's not)]]. He (depending on the player's actions) may wind up evading arrest and assaulting police officers and damaging property and driving recklessly and, though not directly related to the evasion, deliberately kills a largely innocent man (although the police probably doesn't know he did it). If he doesn't get caught, once the police stop chasing him he's off scot-free. The fact that [[CowboyCop Lt. Blake]] -the cop supposed to stop him- is fucking psychotic probably plays in his favor too. There's also the whole time limit on his son's life and trials thing, so it could be argued that he was under duress at the time.

* {{Averted}} in PhantasyStarPortable. Yes, following [[BigBad Helga]] to [[spoiler:rescue Viviene]] was the right decision and ended up saving the day...but you still broke a direct order, went into restricted space, nearly got in the way of the operation to destroy the Hive, and rescued an enemy operative. For your heroism, you are swiftly discharged. [[ContinuitySnarl Though it's neatly swept under the rug for Portable 2.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Dishonored}}'' : even if Corvo makes it though the game without killing anyone there is still the fact that he broke out of prison, damaged state property, assaulted several people, sold several people into slavery, [[KleptomaniacHero stole a ton of stuff]], many cases of breaking and entering and other crimes (a lot of them arguably unrelated to proving his innocence). It does help that in [[MultipleEndings two endings]], [[spoiler:he becomes the [[ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem regent]] for empress Emily; on the other hand, he's still wanted in the Bad ending, and quits the Empire anyway]].

* An episode of ''TheFairlyOddparents'' has Timmy escaping from the police station to prove he wasn't shoplifting. He isn't punished for this. Though, to be fair, he was only ten, they might be more forgiving at that age.
* The lack of this was used in a episode of ''ThePowerpuffGirls'', when they were framed by people wearing very bad costumes and put in jail. The simply break out by flying through a hole they made in a wall and catch the real criminals. At the end of the episode the Mayor says they have to go back to jail for breaking out, and they all have a laugh before he says he was serious ([[SnapBack this was never mentioned again]]).
* Subverted in ''TheSimpsons'', where Mona Simpson is acquitted for the charges she went on the run for (destroying samples in Mr. Burn's biological warfare lab) but then gets put back in jail when Mr. Burns tricks her into admitting to a crime she frequently committed for the sake of avoiding arrest. Namely, [[PokeThePoodle giving false names to National Park registries]].
* Also subverted in an episode of ''TimonAndPumbaa''. The duo is accused of commmiting a crime; they break out of jail and prove their innocence. They are then thrown right back in for breaking out of prison, because, as the police pointed out, "It's still a crime, even if you were innocent."
* In the {{Disney}} version of ''TheWindInTheWillows'', in the process of escaping from jail after being wrongly accused of stealing a car, Toad steals a train right in front of the engineer and no one points out that even if he never stole the car, he still stole the train. However, since he jumped off the train while driving it, it might have been counted as "borrowing it without permission" because he only used it that one time.

[[folder:Webcomics]]

* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' has an interesting example. Belkar murders a guard escaping from prison and has the charge reduced from Murder 1 to Manslaughter after the circumstances of his arrest (namely, that he was imprisoned under false pretenses and was arrested by [[KnightTemplar an agent]] acting outside the law who was in turn being misled by her superior) are brought to light. Not to mention that, once the dust settles from the impending battle, there's no place left to imprison him and nobody left to do the imprisoning, so...
** He is also out on what is [[RestrainingBolt basically work release]], officially he still has jail time coming even after the sentence reduction for aiding in the battle.
* In ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'', Tagon's Toughs end up on trial by the UNS for deliberately destroying the interior of an entire syndicated television network's building. Due to a bit of fleeing arrest and the interest of the local [[DeusEstMachina galactic god AI Petey]], the judge for the trial is Petey himself. Over the course of the trial, it becomes apparent that while, yes, the Toughs were responsible for the bombing, the reason ''why'' the UNS is prosecuting them for the crime is significantly different than they thought (complex social engineering by the UNS government was involved) and ultimately Petey is able to convince the UNS to sweep the whole thing under the rug lest he publicly reveal the fact that the UNS is deliberately bombing reality TV as part of a social engineering program.

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* One of the most common jokes made about ''MinorityReport: Everybody Runs'' is that Anderton brutally kills a few hundred cops over the course of the game while trying to prove himself innocent of a single murder. It's obviously GameplayAndStorySegregation as the story treats it like he's taking out all his opponents non-lethally (even if that involves throwing them through plate glass windows or tossing them off hundred story buildings), but he's still resisting arrest and beating up hundreds of cops.

* Played straight with a little known, and less used, concept in American law called "Jury Nullification" where a jury may decide that either the circumstances surrounding the crime require the jury to ignore the law or in cases where the government's actions are so egregious that a jury simply refuses to convict. The most infamous case of the latter was the incident at Ruby Ridge, where a Randy Weaver's wife, son, and dog were killed when the government was only supposed to serve a warrant. The Jury at the Weaver's trial refused to convict him.

* In ''GhostTrick'', [[spoiler: [[AvertedTrope Cabanela stops Jowd from escaping from prison]] because, even though Jowd can be proven innocent, escaping prison is still a crime and Jowd could just as easily be executed for that. Also at the end, Yomiel accepts prison time as the consequences of everything he did while attempting to escape police custody, even though he was innocent of the initial accusation.]]
** The entire reason [[spoiler:arresting people who are likely innocent is Cabanela's favorite tactic. He figures it's best to put them in jail so that he can legally get them off the hook, without worrying about them running off and doing more illegal things to get themselves further in trouble.]]

* ''Film/TheInterpreter'' has the main character [[spoiler:break into a UN panic room and try to murder a head of state with a gun (though she desisted at the last minute)]]. The last scene in the film shows her casually sitting in the UN garden and having a friendly chat with Sean Penn's DS about leaving the country, with no indication that anything she did would ever have repercussions.

* Played very straight in ''HeavyRain''. [[spoiler: Ethan Mars]] is being chased by the entire police force, thinking him to be the Origami Killer (he's not). He (depending on the player's actions) winds up evading arrest and assaulting police officers and damaging property and driving recklessly and, though not directly related to the evasion, deliberately kills a largely innocent man. If he doesn't get caught, once the police stop chasing him he's off scot-free.
** To be fair, according to how you play the game Ethan doesn't have to do those things, and you can even just give him up to the police if you're so inclined. The fallout after the true Origami Killer's identity is revealed may be somewhat mitgated by the fact that the officer in charge [[CowboyCop Lt. Blake]] is fucking psychotic, so a decent lawyer could use [[MemeticMutation Nahman Jayden's]] testimony to prove that Ethan had a good reason to resist arrest. There's also the whole time limit on his son's life and trials thing, so it could be argued that he was under duress at the time.

* VideoGame/{{Dishonored}} even if Corvo makes it though the game without killing anyone there is still the fact that he, broke out of prison, damaged state property, assaulted several people, sold several people into slavery, stole a ton of stuff, many cases of breaking and entering and other crimes. It does help he knows the Empress [[spoiler: his possible daughter Emily]]; all endings except the worst one imply [[spoiler:that he becomes regent, putting him above prosecution]], while in the worst ending [[spoiler:he flees the country and the continent anyway.]]

* VideoGame/{{Dishonored}} even if Corvo makes it though the game without killing anyone there is still the fact that he, broke out of prison, damaged state property, assaulted several people, sold several people into slavery, stole a ton of stuff, many cases of breaking and entering and other crimes. It does help he knows the Empress [[spoiler: his possible daughter Emily]]

* While there isn't anywhere on Earth that plays this ''completely'' straight, there are some places where the law expressly forbids punishing someone for exercising their natural "desire for freedom". Sure, they'll still do their damnedest to get you back, as well as try you for any crimes committed during your escape, but not for the act itself. However, on the other side of the coin, some places such as Germany punish escape attempts by doubling your sentence ''and then holding you to it even if you are later exonerated of the crime for which you were imprisoned in the first place''.

* The movie ''TheNegotiator'' is built around this trope. Samuel Jackson's character takes over an office building and holds people hostage, but it's all right as long as he catches the bad guy in the end.

* The protagonist of the French film ''TellNoOne'' caused a massive pile-up on one of Paris's busiest roads, one that certainly caused a lot of property damage, if no actual injuries.

* Jamie Foxx's character in the end of ''{{Collateral}}'' is forced to impersonate an assassin and ends up committing a few crimes over the course of the end of the movie trying to save the last victim of said assassin. Good thing the [[spoiler: last victim on the list was a prosecutor, because when this is over he's going to need all the legal help he can get]].

* [[RunningGag The]] protagonist and girlfriend in TheSixties' monster mash ''[[AttackOfTheEyeCreatures Attack of the the Eye Creatures]]'' were framed for a murder committed by the "creatures". Our heroes break out of jail and steal a police car. The girlfriend's influential father "takes care of everything" by having these charges dismissed.

** An even more glaring example of this is seen in the sequel, ''USMarshals'', in which Mark Sheridan commits numerous felonies in the course of proving his innocence and attempting to flee the country--kidnapping, assault, and technically even attempted murder of a federal agent (when he shoots Gerard, even if he did deliberately aim for his bulletproof vest). His girlfriend counts as well, for aiding and abetting him. What's more, she might not yet be a US citizen and might even be in the country illegally, so her actions are enough to warrant her being deported. But at the end of the film, they're all seen walking out of a courthouse with a few throwaway lines about him being "cleared of all charges." However, it probably doesn't hurt his case that one of the people assigned to guard him, and later pursue him, was actually attempting to murder him to cover up his own crimes, making surrender something of a non-option. Given that Richard Kimble's crimes were so minor in comparison, one can HandWave that he received the same treatment.

* Similarly in {{Firewall}}, while not out to clear his name, Harrison Ford's character, in the course of trying to save his kidnapped family: (1) breaks into an apartment and arrives at a murder scene, (2) gets his hands on the murder weapon clearly leaving prints, (3) takes a bank teller hostage at gunpoint, (4) breaks into his ex-secretary's apartment and apparently forces her to help him after firing her earlier, and (5) then hacks into the bad guys' account to erase their money.
* ''DoubleJeopardy'' has a variant where the protagonist is being chased for violating parole, having already been released for murdering her husband. She goes free after exposing her husband for faking his death earlier, in spite of breaking and entering, stealing Lehman's car, stealing his gun, transporting said gun across state lines without a permit, property damage, and let's not forget her unremitting plan to ''kill a man'', thanks to this film's use of HollywoodLaw.
* ''MinorityReport'' has John Anderton committing theft and resisting arrest while trying to prove he won't murder someone. In the movie, he admittedly goes out of his way to not harm the [=PreCrime=] cops sent to get him. In the Game Of The Movie, [[SelectiveCondemnation you're free to slaughter them by the hundreds while trying to prove you wouldn't commit]] ''[[SelectiveCondemnation one murder]]''. In the original short story, [[spoiler:Anderton kills the guy anyway, and, due to the circumstances, gets off with a relative slap on the wrist in the form of exile to another planet.]]

* About 1/4 of the way through ''ItsAMadMadMadMadWorld'', the police note that even though none of the treasure hunters have a criminal record, they now have resisted arrest, destroyed property, burglarized a hardware store, assaulted many people, etc. This is all met basically with a shrug. (Justified in that the cops are waiting for these people to lead them to the stolen money.)

* Subverted in ''{{JCVD}}''. JCVD is ultimately [[spoiler:arrested, convicted, and thrown in jail]] for a seemingly minor crime that he committed while trying to resolve the hostage situation and clear his name.
* ''{{Hackers}}'': In the course of stopping the crimes for which they were framed and obtaining the evidence of the [[BigBad real villain's]] plans, the heroes wreck an incredibly expensive supercomputer, but the FBI apparently doesn't prosecute them for it, since we see the main character and his girlfriend living (more or less) happily ever after at the end. This is most likely because the truth (which was [[DoNotAdjustYourSet broadcast worldwide]] by other hackers) embarrassed the FBI to no end - [[spoiler:the real villain manipulated the FBI into assisting him in environmental terrorism.]]

* Averted in the SinCity film. Marv is both wrongfully accused and ends up having to commit several acts of violence... for revenge. He knows good and well what this will lead to (the comics make it even more obvious) and has little intention of trying to clear his name. [[spoiler: In the end, he is not only tried for the killings he was accused of but also the ones he '''did''' commit. He is sentenced to death.]]
* The protagonist in ''{{Shooter}}'' kills an awful lot of {{Mooks}} in order to avoid being caught for something he didn't do. Luckily, they're all deniable government assets - and [[spoiler:he kills the ringleaders of the conspiracy in the final scene]], so all the prosecutors are left with is a whole lot of carnage that no-one wants to acknowledge - and a OneManArmy who's made it clear that all he wants is to be left in peace.

* In the SylvesterStallone version of Film/JudgeDredd, Dredd is wrongfully convicted of murder. Despite knowing he's innocent, he strictly adheres to the law and allows himself to be stripped of his rank as a Judge and sent to Aspen maximum security prison to serve a life sentence... But when the transport is shot down en-route and he finds out the real killer's identity and what his plans are, he sneaks back into MegaCity One, infiltrates the headquarters of the Judges, and directly or indirectly leads to the death of about a dozen of his former colleagues. And at the end of it all, he not only doesn't get called out on his tactics, he's offered the position of Chief Justice!

* Things ''not'' working this way sets up the entire premise of the final season of ''Series/RedDwarf.'' In proving themselves innocent, they committed crimes that added up to a sentence equal to the one they'd spent the three-parter trying to get out of.

** Also note that breaking out of jail is not a crime in Germany, you have your right to freedom after all.

* {{Subverted}}, possibly [[DoubleSubverted twice]], by the sixth season ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode "Suspicions". Dr. Crusher performs an autopsy on a scientist she believes was murdered, in direct violation of his people's law[[note]]The Ferengi sell the body parts of their dead for some level of profit. An autopsy "damages" the goods making them unsellable.[[/note]], resulting in Picard removing her from her post as ship's doctor and stripping her of her rank pending a court martial. Although she eventually proves her case afterward, the end of the episode makes it clear that her career's hanging by a thread regardless... [[StatusQuoIsGod and yet she's right back on duty in the next episode like nothing ever happened]]. We can assume that [[SnapBack the court martial exonerated her off-screen]], but since the affair is never mentioned again, there's really no way to be sure. It may have helped that [[spoiler:she actually caught the killer. And proved the scientist's work does work, ensuring the man's family can still sell the technology for the money they lost for what she did to his body, which of course is a very persuasive argument for the Ferengi.]]
* In the mini-series ''For The Term Of His Natural Life'', the wrongly convicted main character Rufus Dawes mentions that a pardon will not be enough, he didn't commit the original crime but he's committed plenty since then. He ends up receiving an unconditional pardon for any crimes he has committed.

* Also, juries of peers can make it less likely for anyone in this situation to be ''convicted'' (people are generally not inclined to throw innocent people back in jail for the crime of trying to escape an unjust punishment, particular as, in several of the fictional examples, they were accused under fraudulent or false pretenses in the first place), though it won't stop them getting charged.
* The trope may be played straight sometimes with two conditions: when TheHero's unlawful actions are comparatively minor and when the evidence he or she leaves behind is too flimsy for the authorities to build a case against him or her. However, too much people tend to take the trope at face value and seek their justice into a manner a bit ''too'' rough [[DontTryThisAtHome to get free out of jail]].

* Also subverted in an episode of ''TimonAndPumbaa''. The duo is accused of commiting a crime, they break out of jail and prove their innocence. They are then thrown right back in for breaking out of prison, because, as the police pointed out, "It's still a crime, even if you were innocent."

* In ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'', Tagon's Toughs end up on trial by the UNS for deliberately destroying the interior of an entire syndicated television network's building. Due to a bit of fleeing arrest and the interest of the local [[DeusEstMachina galactic god AI Petey]], the judge for the trial is Petey himself. Over the course of the trial, it becomes apparent that while, yes, the Toughs were responsible for the bombing, the reason ''why'' the UNS is prosecuting them for the crime is significantly different than thought (complex social engineering by the UNS government was involved) and ultimately Petey is able to convince the UNS to sweep the whole thing under the rug lest he publicly reveal the fact that the UNS is deliberately bombing reality TV as part of a social engineering program.

** Also note that breaking out of jail is not a crime in Germany, you have your right for freedom after all.

* Subverted in ''OutlawStar''. What's the first thing Gene does upon his return to Sentinel? Jail time. Turns out that [[spoiler: meeting [[SufficientlyAdvancedAliens robot God]]]] doesn't excuse you from overdue parking tickets or leaving the planet without clearence - even if intergalactic pirates are to blame. Fred paid bail though, so it's alright (or, considering how much Gene already owes Fred, maybe not).

* Subverted in AwakeningOfTheMagus. After Fudge announces Sirius innocent in public, he attempts to bring up the matter of Sirius escaping Azkaban... until a journalist reminds him he announced Sirius to be free of '''all''' charges up to date.
* Commonly played straight in every [[Franchise/HarryPotter HP]] fanfic that uses this plot, actually. Probably justified by the fact that he was locked up in ''very'' irregular circumstances, to the point where any crimninal investigation would be focused on the people who locked him up in the first place.

* The movie ''TheNegotiator'' is built around this trope. Samuel Jackson's character takes over and office building and holds people hostage, but it's all right as long as he catches the bad guy in the end.

* [[RunningGag The]] protagonist and girlfriend in TheSixties' monster mash ''[[AttackOfTheEyeCreatures Attack of the the Eye Creatures]]'' were framed for a murder committed by the the "creatures". Our heroes break out of jail and steal a police car. The girlfriend's influential father "takes care of everything" by having these charges dismissed.

** An even more glaring example of this is seen in the sequel, ''USMarshals'', in which Mark Sheridan commits numerous felonies in the course of proving his innocence and attempting to flee the country--kidnapping, assault, and technically even attempted murder of a federal agent (when he shoots Gerard, even if he did deliberately aim for his bulletproof vest). His girlfriend counts as well, for aiding and abetting him. What's more, she might not yet be a US citizen and might even be in the country illegally, so her actions are enough to warrant her being deported. But at the end of the film, they're all seen walking out of a courthouse with a few throwaway lines about him being "cleared of all charges" However, it probably doesn't hurt his case that one of the people assigned to guard him, and later pursue him, was actually attempting to murder him to cover up his own crimes, making surrender something of a non-option. Given that Richard Kimble's crimes were so minor in comparison, one can HandWave that he received the same treatment.

** Assuming the laws haven't changed, I think he'd be guilty of FelonyMurder for anyone who is murdered after he kidnapped one of the precogs [[spoiler:which happened at least once]]. Also, while he never killed any of the cops, he did put at least one in severe danger of death.

* In the ending of ''Film/HaroldAndKumarEscapeFromGuantanamoBay'', the titular duo kill four Federal agents in the process of evading capture for a (grossly) wrongful accusation of terrorism. Presumably, that gets included in the full pardon they get at the end from President Bush. Although the deaths were due to the agents' incompetence rather than caused by H&K directly, it would be their word against the State's since there were no surviving witnesses, and anyway it'd still count as felony murder.

* An obscure Western centered on a judge having to deal with this trope. A man was convicted of murder and was about to be hanged and killed the hangman while trying to escape. While a new hangman is brought in, the man is proven innocent of the original crime. The judge has to decide if the guy should hang for the new killing. In the end he deems it a case of self defense.

* The protagonist in ''{{Shooter}}'' kills an awful lot of {{Mooks}} in order to avoid being caught for something he didn't do. Luckily, they're all deniable government assets - and [[spoiler:he kills the ringleaders of the conspiracy in the final secne]], so all prosecutors are left with is a whole lot of carnage that no-one wants to acknowledge - and a OneManArmy who's made it clear that all he wants is to be left in peace.

* In the SylvesterStallone version of Film/JudgeDredd, Dredd is wrongfully convicted of murder. Despite knowing he's innocent, he strictly adheres to the law and allows himself to be stripped of his rank as a Judge and sent to Aspen maximum security prison... But when the transport crashes en-route and he finds out the real killer's identity and what his plans are, he sneaks back into MegaCity One, infiltrates the headquarters of the Judges, and directly or indirectly leads to the death of about a dozen of his former colleagues. And at the end of it all, he not only doesn't get called out on his tactics, he's offered the position of Chief Justice!

** In particular, Samuel Jackson's character is most likely guilty of murder because one of his prisoners is killed (and deaths during the commission of a felony are considered murder[[hottip:*:Although the fact that the people killed are killed by a third party attempting to foil him by killing his hostages to prevent them from talking to him probably screws with the usual "foreseeable consequence" requirement of felony murder]].) However, we never actually see what happens.

** Michael did not really "rob" a bank. He just entered it with drawn guns and waited for the police to arrive.

** Sometimes used when it comes to the clients. In the episode, "Wanted Man" a wrongfully accused man hides out at Michael's while they try to FrameTheGuiltyParty. He's told that he'll be free by the end of the week, even though he's at least guilty of evading arrest at this point.

* Averted in SinCity comics. Marv is both wrongfully accused and ends up having to commit several acts of violence... for revenge. He knows good and well what this will lead to (the comics make it even more obvious) and has little intention of trying to clear his name. [[spoiler: In the end, he is not only tried for the killings he was accused of but also the ones he '''did''' commit. He is sentenced to death.]]