Joyce “Tilly” Mitchell, a former prison employee who was at the center of a scandal in 2015, has been released from prison. Mitchell helped two convicted murderers escape from prison after engaging in an inappropriate physical relationship with them. For her role in their escape, Mitchell was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2015, but has been conditionally released into community supervision.
Mitchell met inmates Richard Matt and David Sweat in a prison in Dannemora, New York. Mitchell, then a prison seamstress, allegedly engaged in a sexual relationship with the two men. Then, Matt began asking her to bring in various supplies he could use to escape.
At first, Mitchell was hesitant, but she eventually brought a screwdriver bit for Matt. Then, she reluctantly brought Matt and Sweat two hacksaws that they could use to cut through their cell walls. On the night of their escape, however, Mitchell finally decided she wouldn’t help the convicts. Still, they managed to get out.
The ensuing manhunt for Matt and Sweat was national news for weeks. The prison break caused quite a stir around Dannemora as police vehicles swept the region.
Finally, three weeks after their escape, police caught up to Matt and Sweat. In a shootout, Matt was killed while trying to stave off police. Sweat was recaptured and returned to prison.
While that marked the end of their escape attempt, public fixation on the case led to the creation of a dramatized version of the story, “Escape at Dannemora,” which aired on Showtime.
Mitchell’s release from her own prison stint is conditional on her good behavior and community supervision. Authorities seemed to take into account Mitchell’s unwillingness to follow through with helping in the actual escape, as well as her reluctance to help the prisoners in the first place, when granting her an early release.
She will remain under supervision until June 8, 2022, according to court documents.
