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Prison tailor who helped inmates escape is set for release

State denies parole for prison worker Joyce Mitchell
Posted at 3:39 PM, Feb 05, 2020
and last updated 2020-02-05 15:39:02-05

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The former prison tailor who helped two killers escape a northern New York prison is about to be released.

Joyce Mitchell is serving time at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for helping Richard Matt and David Sweat break out of the state prison in Dannemora in 2015.

She provided tools they used to chisel through walls and pipes in a “Shawshank Redemption”-style escape.

After a three-week manhunt, Matt was shot dead and Sweat was captured and put behind bars for life.

The state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision says Mitchell's release date is Feb. 8 but it will likely be moved up to Thursday.