Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Escape at Dannemora!
Escape at Dannemorais one of the biggest shows that is currently streaming on Netflix, and here is what happened to the real Joyce Mitchell after the events of the show. Patricia Arquette’s Joyce Mitchell is one of the main characters inEscape at Dannemora, with much of the show centering on her role in the titular prison escape. Joyce Mitchell’s romantic entanglement with the prisoners and subsequent activities surrounding Richard Matt and David Sweatare given much focus inEscape at Dannemora, and here is everything there is to know about what happened to her after her criminal role.
Escape at Dannemorais a 2018 Showtime seriesthat tells the real-life story of Richard Matt and David Sweat, two convicted murderers who escaped from the Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate New York. With the help of Joyce Mitchell and another prison guard, the duo breaks out of prison, leading to a massive manhunt for the convicts. While there is a lot to go over concerning the real-life prison escape,Escape at Dannemoraspecifically focuses on the romantic relationship between Joyce Mitchell and the two escapees, with every episode of the acclaimed series beingdirected by Ben Stiller.
Joyce Mitchell Was Hospitalized After Authorities Linked Her To Richard Matt & David Sweat’s Escape
She Wasn’t There To Pick Matt & Sweat Up
Richard Matt and David Sweat’s plan to escape the Clinton Correctional Facilitywas elaborate, with Joyce Mitchell originally set to play a massive part in it. In order to escape, Matt and Sweat dug a tunnel that led from inside the facility to 500 feet outside of it, with them crawling through the tunnel and escaping sometime between 10:30pm on August 01, 2025, and 5:30am on June 6. The original plan was for Joyce Mitchell to pick Matt and Sweat up once they escaped the prison, although this didn’t end up happening.
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As it turns out, Joyce Mitchell began feeling chest pains shortly before she was supposed to pick Matt and Sweat up from the escape. This led to Mitchell being hospitalized and unable to pick the duo up. It isn’t known exactly how Matt and Sweat got away after exiting the hole that led from Clinton Correctional Facility, although they did get away.Joyce Mitchell’s role in Matt and Sweat’s escape became apparent during the manhunt, leading to the authorities eventually charging and arresting her for her assistance of the two escapees.
Joyce Mitchell Was Arrested A Week After The Prison Escape & Confessed Shortly After
She Received A 7-Year Sentence
The manhunt for Richard Matt and David Sweat began after they went missing on June 6, with it lasting until David Sweat was found weeks later on June 28. Despite both prisoners still being missing on June 12, the authorities had enough evidence to officially arrest and charge Joyce Mitchell for her role in the escape. Throughout the rest of the manhunt,the authorities began to uncover the extent of Mitchell’s relationship with Matt and Sweat, learning more about how she aided them and what happened to her during the lead-up to the breakout.
On August 03, 2025, authorities discovered thatJoyce Mitchell helped Matt and Sweat escapeas part of a plan for them to kill her husband once they broke out of prison. Matt had given Mitchell drugs that would sedate her husband, Lyle, allowing them to easily kill him after the escape. However, Mitchell ended up throwing away the pills rather than giving them to her husband. After being arrested, Mitchell confessed these details to the authorities, revealing the motivations behind her assistance as well as the aid that she had given to Matt and Sweat’s escape from Clinton Correctional Facility.
Joyce Mitchell’s Criminal Charges & Sentencing Explained
She Wasn’t The Only Prison Employee Charged
Joyce Mitchell was arrested and charged with promoting prison contraband and criminal facilitation, with these charges covering how she helped Matt and Sweat escape the prison. Mitchell pleaded guilty to these charges, earning her seven years in prison. On top of that, Mitchell was fined $6,375 and had to pay $79,841 in restitution. It is possible that Mitchell could have faced even more chargeshad she been there to drive Matt and Sweat away, especially so if she had gone through with the plot to have them murder her husband after escaping the prison.
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Interestingly, Joyce Mitchell wasn’t the only prison official who was charged due to their role in Matt and Sweat’s escape. Prison guard Gene Palmer also helped aid Matt and Sweat’s escape, with him smuggling items into the prison and aiding Matt in exchange for paintings. Palmer’s role in the escape led to him being fined $5,375 and getting a six-month prison sentence, although he only served four months. While failures of other prison officials were cited in the escape, Mitchell and Palmer were the only two to face charges in the aftermath of the manhunt.
Joyce Mitchell Was Released From Prison In 2020 - Where Is She Now?
Very Little Is Kown About Her Whereabouts
After serving several years of her sentence, Joyce Mitchell was released from prison in 2020 after being denied parole from Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in Westchester County twice in 2017 and once in 2019. Mitchell was then kept under supervision until June 2022 (viaPress Connects). After her supervision ended, Joyce Mitchell left the spotlight,with very little being known about her since the end of her sentence. Mitchell’s whereabouts and condition are unknown, with her presumably trying to live a life outside of the story that is chronicled inEscape at Dannemora.
However, Joyce Mitchell has discussed herthoughts onEscape at Dannemora, with them being mostly negative. Shortly after the release of the series in 2018, Mitchell gave two interviews while at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility. Mitchell denied having had sex with the inmates, atEscape at Dannemorasuggests, with her saying of the director that “Ben Stiller is a son-of-a-bitch liar just like the rest of the world. He doesn’t care about the truth. All he cares about is making millions off me. He’s an idiot” (viaNew York Post). Thus, Joyce Mitchell seems to unsurprisingly not be a fan ofEscape at Dannemora.
Escape At Dannemora
Cast
Escape at Dannemora is a crime drama based on a real-life prison break in upstate New York. The series explores the complex relationships and manipulations among two convicted murderers and the facility’s staff member who becomes entangled in their escape plan, revealing underlying themes of desperation and vulnerability.
