The escape of convicted murderers Richard Matt and David Sweat in June launched a weeks-long manhunt that drew national attention.
Now, a New York Timesreport on Tuesday says the escape also led to a “campaign of retribution,” with inmates along the same block of units as Matt and Sweat being subject to violence that included beatings while handcuffed, chokings, and head slams.
Sweat and Matt’s housing area—called the “honor block” as it was an earned privilege for prisoners who had exhibited good behavior—was especially targeted, with many inmates being moved from the Clinton Correctional Facility to other prisons. Some were placed in solitary confinement, a reversal of the prison conditions they had earned, despite there being no confirmed link between other prisoners and the escapees.
Sixty inmates have filed official complaints with Prisoners’ Legal Services, a group that assists inmates with their legal rights. The Department of Corrections’ Office of Special Investigations has also become involved.
See the Path 2 Killers Took to Escape From a Maximum Security Prison
Gov. Andrew Cuomo tours the Clinton Correctional Facility, where two inmates escaped on Saturday, in Dannemora, N.Y. on June 6, 2015.Darren McGee—Office of the Governor of New YorkA man-made hole in the wall of the escaped inmates' cell at Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, N.Y. on June 6, 2015.Darren McGee—Office of the Governor of New YorkThe industrial area where inmates escaped to from a hole in their cell at the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, N.Y. on June 6, 2015.Darren McGee—Office of the Governor of New YorkGov. Andrew Cuomo tours the escape route taken by two prisoners at the Clinton Correctional Facility on Saturday, in Dannemora, N.Y. on June 6, 2015.Darren McGee—Office of the Governor of New YorkGov. Andrew Cuomo tours the escape route taken by two prisoners at the Clinton Correctional Facility on Saturday, in Dannemora, N.Y. on June 6, 2015.Darren McGee—Office of the Governor of New YorkGov. Andrew Cuomo tours the escape route taken by two prisoners at the Clinton Correctional Facility on Saturday, in Dannemora, N.Y. on June 6, 2015.Darren McGee—Office of the Governor of New YorkGovernor Andrew Cuomo tours the escape route taken by two prisoners at the Clinton Correctional Facility on Saturday, in Dannemora, N.Y. on June 6, 2015.Darren McGee—Office of the Governor of New YorkGovernor Andrew Cuomo tours the escape route taken by two prisoners at the Clinton Correctional Facility on Saturday, in Dannemora, N.Y. on June 6, 2015.Darren McGee—Office of the Governor of New YorkGov. Andrew Cuomo tours the escape route taken by two prisoners at the Clinton Correctional Facility on Saturday, in Dannemora, N.Y. on June 6, 2015.Darren McGee—Office of the Governor of New YorkGov. Andrew Cuomo surveys the manhole where two prisoners resurfaced after escaping from the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, N.Y. on June 6, 2015.Darren McGee—Office of the Governor of New York
