全て手配中のもしくは刑務所に留置されていた犯罪者たちです


I am tempted to parse

> 全て手配中 **の** もしくは刑務所に留置されていた犯罪者たちです

as

> 全て((手配中 **で** )もしくは(刑務所に留置されていた))犯罪者たちです

meaning

> All are criminals who (being searched for) or (have been detailed in
> prison).

But I replaced の with で (て-form of だ) because it doesn't make much sense to me
otherwise.

Why is の being used here? Regardless, is there a copula being colloquially
dropped after 手配中 (which I assume means "in-the-middle-of-being-searched-
for")?




Nothing is omitted in your sentence. Your sentence is an example of [right-
node raising](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/17743/5010). The word 犯罪者
has been pulled out to the right.

  * 手配中の **犯罪者** もしくは刑務所に留置されていた **犯罪者**  
**criminals** who were fugitives, or **criminals** who had been detained in
prison

  * 手配中のもしくは刑務所に留置されていた **犯罪者**  
**criminals** who were fugitives or who had been detained in prison

So this の still modifies 犯罪者. Both mean the same, but the latter is more
concise because you don't have to say 犯罪者 twice.

In case you still don't understand the former, remember that ～中 works as a no-
adjective.




Nothing is omitted in your sentence. Your sentence is an example of [right-
node raising](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/17743/5010). The word 犯罪者
has been pulled out to the right.

  * 手配中の **犯罪者** もしくは刑務所に留置されていた **犯罪者**  
**criminals** who were fugitives, or **criminals** who had been detained in
prison

  * 手配中のもしくは刑務所に留置されていた **犯罪者**  
**criminals** who were fugitives or who had been detained in prison

So this の still modifies 犯罪者. Both mean the same, but the latter is more
concise because you don't have to say 犯罪者 twice.

In case you still don't understand the former, remember that ～中 works as a no-
adjective.

