Anthony Ferrie was being taken back to jail in a G4S vehicle following a visit to Livingston's St John's Hospital when he absconded.
The 33-year-old was an inmate at Addiewell Prison in West Lothian.
Police said "extensive inquiries" were carried out in West Lothian and North Lanarkshire to trace Ferrie, who went missing on 4 August.
He was arrested at a house in Bellshill and will appear at Livingston Sheriff Court on Wednesday.
A prisoner who escaped from a security van after a visit to hospital 12 days ago has been arrested.