State corrections officials on Wednesday announced a new superintendent would assume control at Clinton Correctional Facility following the escape of two convicted killers from the Dannemora prison.
Michael Kirkpatrick, most recently the first deputy superintendent of the Elmira Correctional Facility, will take charge after the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision placed 12 prison employees on administrative leave after the resolution of the three-week manhunt for David Sweat and Richard Matt.
The FBI, along with the state inspector general, are investigating both the circumstances of the escape, security protocols at the prison and potentially broader corruption at the facility.
Along with his appointment, Kirkpatrick will be charged with helping implement interim security protocols that have been in place since June 6 at the prison, which includes eliminating the so-called “honor block” where Sweat and Matt lived.
New rules are being put in place that would require securing job boxes of contractors in a locked trailer that inmates cannot receive access to.
Security gates are also being installed in the facility’s tunnels, which Matt and Sweat used to escape after gaining access to power tools.
Matt was shot dead on Friday, while Sweat was taken into custody by State Police on Sunday after he was wounded by Sgt. Jay Cook.
Former prison employee Joyce Mitchell is being charged with providing help to the men, while Corrections Officer Gene Palmer is being investigated for also providing support to Matt and Sweat.