Justice Versus Law

Lore & Background

As the story progresses, the distinction blurs further with the introduction of Samaritan. This rival AI represents a world where law and order are absolute, eliminating crime by removing choice. The protagonists fight not just criminals, but the very concept that safety is worth more than liberty. Their struggle defines justice as an active pursuit of human rights rather than passive compliance with statutes.

A fugitive who flees custody while a trial is underway loses the right to appeal any convictions or sentences imposed on him, since the act of fleeing is deemed to flout the court's authority. In 2003, convicted rapist Andrew Luster had his appeals denied on the basis that he spent six months as a fugitive (he was convicted in absentia). How various methods can be used to find fugitives, including phone taps and pen registers on relatives, tracing credit card and cell phone activities and electronic transfer of money, wanted posters and rewards, and jail records.

Reader's Guide

The series constantly questions whether following rules protects society or enables tyranny. Early episodes show Reese saving victims police ignore, establishing that legal procedure often fails the vulnerable. As the narrative expands, the definition of justice shifts from individual rescue to systemic liberation. Characters like Carter struggle between badge-bound duty and moral necessity, eventually choosing the latter when the system corrupts.

Conversely, antagonists argue for absolute order, claiming chaos results from unchecked freedom. The Machine represents a tool that can serve either master based on human intent. Finch's ethical coding contrasts with Samaritan's utilitarian logic, highlighting that safety without liberty is imprisonment. Ultimately, the story suggests true justice requires sacrifice beyond legal boundaries to preserve humanity against algorithmic control.

In the United States, the U.S. Marshals Service is the primary law enforcement agency that tracks down federal fugitives, though the Federal Bureau of Investigation also tracks fugitives. The term 'on the lam' as referring to fugitives, tracing it back to Shakespeare's time through Mencken's The American Language and The Thesaurus of American Slang, which proclaim that lam, lamister, and 'on the lam' were common in thieves' slang before the turn of the 20th century.