Prosecuting prison escapees
<p>Would the actual escape from a <strong>state</strong> prison ever incur federal investigation, federal charges, and/or federal prosecution?  If not, who investigates, charges, and prosecutes escapees for escaping from state prisons in California, USA?</p>

<p>If you escape from state prison and flee to another state, that fleeing is a federal crime. Escape from federal prison is a <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/751" rel="nofollow noreferrer">federal crime</a> (thus pursued by the federal government). Otherwise, escape from (California) prison is a <a href="https://codes.findlaw.com/ca/penal-code/pen-sect-4532.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">California crime</a>, pursued by California. The federal law regarding escape is stated in terms of who has custody, not the jurisdiction whose laws you violated. So a person convicted of a state-level crime and incarcerated in federal prison (for security reasons) would be subject to federal investigation and prosecution. The situation where a federal convict is housed in a state prison doesn't appear to arise. So it would appear that if you break the law in California, are imprisoned in state prison, and escape but stay in the state, it is only California that will investigate and prosecute.</p>

criminal-law california