--- description: "If I could take it all back I would" title: Prison Seamstress Who Helped Escapees Cries During Sentencing image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt023aa6c93c992b6c/698865ce0a4a223f819c64af/joyce-mitchell1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Prison Seamstress Who Helped Escapees Cries During Sentencing by [Tracy Connor / NBC News](/author/nbc-news/) ## Tracy Connor / NBC News Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 28, 2015 4:06 PM CUT  Joyce Mitchell arrives for sentencing at Clinton County Court, in Plattsburgh, New York Sept. 28, 2015. Joyce Mitchell arrives for sentencing at Clinton County Court, in Plattsburgh, New York Sept. 28, 2015.Reuters by [Tracy Connor / NBC News](/author/nbc-news/) ## Tracy Connor / NBC News Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 28, 2015 4:06 PM CUT Former prison seamstress Joyce Mitchell sobbed as she was sentenced Monday to up to seven years in prison for helping two convicts escape with tools smuggled in hamburger meat. “If I could take it all back I would,” Mitchell said in a choked voice. “I live with regret every day and will for the rest of my life.” She said she only helped the inmates, David Sweat and Richard Matt, because she feared they would hurt her family. [Read the rest of the story from our partners at NBC News](http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/new-york-prison-escape/prison-seamstress-joyce-mitchell-weeps-during-sentencing-escape-help-n434796?cid=par-time-article%5F20150928 "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4052322/joyce-mitchell-cries/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4052322/joyce-mitchell-cries/"},"headline":"Prison Seamstress Who Helped Escapees Cries During Sentencing","datePublished":"2015-09-28T16:06:49.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T11:19:22.290Z","description":"\"If I could take it all back I would,\" Joyce Mitchell said","url":"https://time.com/4052322/joyce-mitchell-cries/","keywords":["Crime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt023aa6c93c992b6c/698865ce0a4a223f819c64af/joyce-mitchell1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tracy Connor / NBC News"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt023aa6c93c992b6c/698865ce0a4a223f819c64af/joyce-mitchell1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Joyce Mitchell","caption":"Joyce Mitchell","creditText":"Reuters","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4052322/joyce-mitchell-cries/","name":"Prison Seamstress Who Helped Escapees Cries During Sentencing"}}]}] ```