[JLS]

"he escaped from prison (no easy task)."

This might depend on the level of the prison he escaped from. He might have just walked away from work release, he might have just walked away from a minimum security prison or he might have broken out of the big house. The latter as you suggest might be a complex planned act, any of the former might be a spur of the moment act.

[OldFriend]

In New York, they walk away, leave you unattended, and you get to just walk out the door. Not complicated in the least.