Highlights
- David Sweat escaped from Clinton Correctional Facility in 2015 with fellow inmate Richard Matt.
- They escaped with the help of Joyce Mitchell, who had relationships with both inmates.
- After the 22-day manhunt, Matt was shot, and Sweat was captured near Lake Titus, New York.
- Sweat faced additional prison time in 2016, adding up to seven more years to his life sentence.
- In recent years, Sweat staged a hunger strike, leading to force-feeding by prison authorities.
David Sweat, a name widely known for his dramatic 2015 escape from the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York, is still in prison today.
The real-life event inspired the hit docudrama Escape at Dannemora, which is currently streaming on Netflix, introducing the public to Sweat’s daring escape attempt.
In 2015, David Sweat was serving a life sentence at the Clinton facility for the 2002 killing of a Broome County sheriff’s deputy.
He wasn’t alone in his escape; he joined forces with fellow inmate Richard Matt. Matt was in the Clinton prison for 25 years due to charges of kidnapping and assault.
They both lived in the prison’s ‘honor block,’ an area for well-behaved inmates where doors were left open, and inmates could take up small jobs like plumbing or cooking.
During their time in the honor block, Sweat and Matt befriended Joyce Mitchell, a prison worker in the tailoring section.
Mitchell became very close with the two inmates, even admitting later to having inappropriate relationships with them.
The friendship wasn’t just friendly, though; it became a key part of their audacious plan to escape.
Sweat and Matt devised an elaborate prison break, similar to a plot out of The Shawshank Redemption. Joyce Mitchell provided them with the tools needed for their escape.
They used these to cut holes in their cell walls and navigated the prison’s plumbing system to flee from the facility. Initially, the plan was for Mitchell to pick them up outside the prison and drive them to the Mexican border.
However, at the last moment, Mitchell had cold feet, causing the escapees to come up with a new plan on the fly.
After abandoning their ride, the pair made a run for the U.S.-Canada border, triggering a massive manhunt that lasted for 22 days.
The chase ended near Lake Titus, New York, where Richard Matt was shot dead, and David Sweat was apprehended.
In February 2016, Sweat faced a New York court and received an additional sentence of three-and-a-half to seven years to be served along with his existing life sentence.
Since then, Sweat has mostly stayed out of the public eye, except for one notable incident.
After being recaptured, Sweat reportedly staged a hunger strike, which caught the attention of prison authorities.
According to reports, his strike continued until the New York Justice Department intervened and ordered force-feeding.
This method involved providing nutrition through external means to prevent further health complications caused by his self-imposed strike.
David Sweat is still believed to be serving his life sentence in a New York state prison. He remains a figure of interest due to his involvement in one of the most dramatic prison breaks in recent American history, as shown in Escape at Dannemora.
David Sweat remains behind bars in 2024, serving out his sentence in a New York prison after his infamous 2015 escape attempt.