Seamstress Who Helped Cons Escape Hears Parole Fate

The upstate New York prison break that Joyce Mitchell played a role in four years ago captivated the nation, but her recent attempts to make her own way out from behind bars apparently didn't captivate the parole board. The New York Daily News reports the 55-year-old seamstress—who famously aided Richard Matt and David Sweat in their dramatic escape from the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora in June 2015—lost her third bid for parole, per a parole board decision released Thursday. Mitchell is currently serving 2 1/3 years to seven years.

A state corrections spokesman didn't give a reason as to why Mitchell wasn't granted her freedom, though he tells the AP that a variety of factors come into play during the decision-making process, including what a prisoner has done inside prison during his or her stay, victims' statements, and if officials think the inmate is a danger to the public, among other eligibility factors. Mitchell won't get another chance in front of the parole board until June 2021. The prison break is portrayed in a Showtime miniseries, Escape at Dannemora, as well as in a book featuring extensive interviews with Sweat.)