June 12, 2015
By
DANNEMORA, N.Y. — A worker (click here) at an upstate New York maximum-security prison has been arrested on charges she helped two convicted killers escape, state police said Friday.
Fifty-one-year-old Joyce Mitchell was arrested and will be arraigned on charges of first-degree promoting prison contraband and fourth-degree criminal facilitation, state police said.
Mitchell is accused of befriending inmates David Sweat and Richard Matt at the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora and giving them contraband....
I hope the State of New York is looking at their employee programs and if they are oriented well when working in a maximum security prison. Why did the State know she was having an inappropriate relationship with prisoners and never removed her from that environment. She needed to be assigned to a different facility.
...Within the past year, officials looked into whether Mitchell had improper ties to the 34-year-old Sweat, who was serving a life sentence for killing a sheriff’s deputy, Wylie said....
The state investigation didn't turn up anything, but, it was wrong. How could the investigation be so very wrong? How many times has this happened with other employees as well?
...The garment shop is intended to give prisoners job skills and work habits. In general, an inmate assigned to such a job might work several hours a day there, five days a week, meaning he would have significant contact with supervisors....
I can understand someone with a limited sentence, even 25 years, could be considered appropriate for this environment, but, someone with a life sentence without a chance of parole isn't really appropriate.
I appreciate the fact such environments can provide a better quality of life in prison, but, to work directly with employees that can sympathize with their permanent incarceration is obviously dangerous.
The employees have to be told they can face consequences if they have any type of friendship with an inmate. This is a maximum security facility. What the heck was going on? It is disappointing this occurred from more than the danger to the public, but, an employee now faces prison herself. It is not making sense to me. There are statements that she is a good upstanding citizen and now this. It is very upsetting.
People make choices, but, this sounds outside her normal life. She had absolutely no concept of the dangers surrounding her in her work place? If employees understand the depth of the danger that exists in their work place, they can learn defensive postures that will prevent this.
There was no coercion? She simply stepped right up to the plate. That is strange.
The people that work with inmates should be admired for their work and improving the lives of those incarcerated; but; they need to have an annual certification to be sure they haven't let their defenses down. There needs to be an employee hot line to report dangers to them, etc., etc. It is a shame this happened.
By
DANNEMORA, N.Y. — A worker (click here) at an upstate New York maximum-security prison has been arrested on charges she helped two convicted killers escape, state police said Friday.
Fifty-one-year-old Joyce Mitchell was arrested and will be arraigned on charges of first-degree promoting prison contraband and fourth-degree criminal facilitation, state police said.
Mitchell is accused of befriending inmates David Sweat and Richard Matt at the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora and giving them contraband....
I hope the State of New York is looking at their employee programs and if they are oriented well when working in a maximum security prison. Why did the State know she was having an inappropriate relationship with prisoners and never removed her from that environment. She needed to be assigned to a different facility.
...Within the past year, officials looked into whether Mitchell had improper ties to the 34-year-old Sweat, who was serving a life sentence for killing a sheriff’s deputy, Wylie said....
The state investigation didn't turn up anything, but, it was wrong. How could the investigation be so very wrong? How many times has this happened with other employees as well?
...The garment shop is intended to give prisoners job skills and work habits. In general, an inmate assigned to such a job might work several hours a day there, five days a week, meaning he would have significant contact with supervisors....
I can understand someone with a limited sentence, even 25 years, could be considered appropriate for this environment, but, someone with a life sentence without a chance of parole isn't really appropriate.
I appreciate the fact such environments can provide a better quality of life in prison, but, to work directly with employees that can sympathize with their permanent incarceration is obviously dangerous.
The employees have to be told they can face consequences if they have any type of friendship with an inmate. This is a maximum security facility. What the heck was going on? It is disappointing this occurred from more than the danger to the public, but, an employee now faces prison herself. It is not making sense to me. There are statements that she is a good upstanding citizen and now this. It is very upsetting.
People make choices, but, this sounds outside her normal life. She had absolutely no concept of the dangers surrounding her in her work place? If employees understand the depth of the danger that exists in their work place, they can learn defensive postures that will prevent this.
There was no coercion? She simply stepped right up to the plate. That is strange.
The people that work with inmates should be admired for their work and improving the lives of those incarcerated; but; they need to have an annual certification to be sure they haven't let their defenses down. There needs to be an employee hot line to report dangers to them, etc., etc. It is a shame this happened.
