Ep 3. Joyce Mitchell
- TV-14
- June 18, 2021
- 42 min
Cellmate Secrets season 1 episode 3, titled Joyce Mitchell, dives into the scandalous story of Joyce Mitchell, a former supervisor at Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate New York who helped two convicted murderers, Richard Matt and David Sweat, escape from the facility in 2015. The episode begins by presenting viewers with Mitchell's life before the breakout, including her marriage and her job at the prison.
The episode then takes a turn and details how Mitchell became romantically involved with both Matt and Sweat, with whom she provided contraband including hacksaw blades and chisels to aid in their escape. Through interviews with Mitchell's family members, friends, and coworkers, the show explores her troubled past and sheds light on the moral dilemma she faced when deciding whether to help the inmates escape.
Cellmate Secrets also delves into the aftermath of the escape and Mitchell's eventual arrest and conviction for her involvement. With newly discovered audio recordings of interviews with Mitchell, the episode sheds light on the psychology behind her actions and explores the motives that led her to potentially risk her career, and ultimately her freedom, in order to help the two convicts escape.
Throughout the episode, viewers are also presented with commentary from law enforcement officials and former inmates, who provide insight into the inner workings of the prison system and the relationships that can develop between inmates and staff. They offer a unique perspective on the events surrounding Mitchell's involvement in the breakout, providing information that previously had not been widely reported on.
Overall, Cellmate Secrets season 1 episode 3 offers a captivating and revealing look into one of the most notorious prison escapes in recent history. Through the lens of Mitchell's story, the episode explores the complex nature of relationships within the prison system and the moral dilemmas that can arise for those who work within it.