Talkline with Hoppy Kercheval  Watch |  Listen

W.Va. psychologist offers take on New York prison escapees

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A dozen days after two convicted murderers escaped from a maximum-security prison in Upstate New York, search efforts largely remained focused on areas near the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York.

Richard Matt, 48, and David Sweat, 35, were able to escape by using power tools to cut through the backs of their cells, break through a wall and cut into a steam pipe.

According to investigators, they crawled through the pipe to make it out of the prison boundaries where they then escaped through a manhole after leaving notes along the way.

Dr. Jeff Hammond, a member and past president of the West Virginia Psychological Association and a retiree from the U.S. Bureau of Prisons as a psychologist, said, though he has has not treated either escapee, he believed both Matt and Sweat are psychopaths.

“These psychopathic personality types operate in a very predatory fashion and their goal, their mission, is to get their own immediate needs met, really, without much care or consideration of what happens in between,” Hammond said on Wednesday’s MetroNews “Talkline.”

“What we’re talking about is a personality trait, rather than something that’s fleeting or comes and goes. It’s kind of a long-standing personality trait. The essence of it is a lack of empathy, an inability to feel what others may feel.”

Hammond, who has trained prison staff members on boundary issues, spoke generally about the possible psychological motivations of Sweat and Matt, along with Joyce Mitchell, the prison worker who’s accused of helping the two escape.

Investigators have said Mitchell told them Matt made her feel “special.”

Hammond theorized that could have made Mitchell a prime target for both Matt and Sweat.

“Ordinarily, that person would have a very poor self concept. They wouldn’t think of themselves as able to attract people, able to be very competent in their world without someone else’s propping them up,” he said.

Hammond was quick to note that Mitchell’s behavior is not typical of all corrections officers. “Most correctional workers train very hard and do very well dealing with a very difficult group, a very difficult population,” he said.

Mitchell, 51, could be sentenced to up to eight years in prison if convicted of the two charges filed against her for allegedly smuggling items like chisels, drill bits and hacksaw blades into the prison and into the hands of Sweat and Matt before the escape.

She’d also allegedly agreed to serve as their getaway driver but did not follow through with that part of the plan.

Authorities confirmed Mitchell worked with both as an instructor in the prison tailor shop. Her husband, Lyle, is a prison maintenance worker.

New York State Police have said more than 1,200 leads had been investigated, so far, as the search for Matt and Sweat continued Wednesday.





More News

News
MetroNews This Morning 3-29-24
Summary of West Virginia news, sports, and weather for Friday, March 29, 2024
March 29, 2024 - 6:24 am
News
Dunlow Volunteer Fire Department closes
The Dunlow VFD did not have a valid workers compensation insurance policy.
March 29, 2024 - 1:23 am
News
As Yeager Airport's Wildlife Patrol Dog turns 7, a new dog comes in to learn from him
The new Border Collie is getting acclimated and receiving training for his soon-to-be role.
March 28, 2024 - 6:30 pm
News
PEIA examines financial effects of new law meant to ensure local pharmacies get fair reimbursements
Gov. Jim Justice signed Senate Bill 453 into law this week.
March 28, 2024 - 4:11 pm