Escape at Dannemora: Is Albert Boyd Based on a Real Prison Correctional Officer?

The thriller show ‘Escape at Dannemora’ tells the story of how two prison inmates, Richard Matt and David Sweat, escaped from the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York, in June 2015. They were aided in their breakout attempt by a prison employee named Joyce Mitchell, who was accused of having an alleged sexual relationship with both Matt and Sweat, turning the whole debacle into a media sensation. However, in the dramatized version of events, not all prison staff members are equally hospitable to the two inmates, as depicted through the antics of correctional officer Albert Boyd, who shows his disdain towards them throughout the narrative.

Albert Boyd is a Fictional Correctional Officer With Some Connections to a Real Prison Guard

Albert Boyd in ‘Escape at Dannemora’ is a fictional correctional officer conceived by scriptwriters Brett Johnson, Michael Tolkin, Dustin LaValley, and Jerry Stahl. The show is primarily based on the 2015 Clinton Correctional Facility escape but takes a few liberties in certain places. As such, Boyd’s character is one of the few discrepancies in the retelling, which is elevated through specific character inclusions and fictional scenarios that never happened. In reality, no prison guards named Albert Boyd were in situ during Richard Matt and David Sweat’s stint at the Clinton Correctional Facility. However, just like Boyd’s fictional persona, Matt and Sweat allegedly disliked one CO named Ronald Blair, who might have partially inspired the fictional character.

In Inspector General Catherine Leahy-Scott’s investigative report on the escape, she mentions that Sweat and Matt reportedly harbored a grudge towards Blair because, at times, he was “unnecessarily disruptive” when carrying out his nightly counts. Their apparent dislike for the CO allegedly went so far as to influence their decision on the day on which they wanted to break out of the prison. Sweat allegedly said that Blair would face punishment for not keeping track of him and Matt following their escape, which turned out to be true as both Blair and another officer named Thomas Renadette were suspended after the escape. The show also reflects this part of the narrative, albeit slightly differently.

In the series, Albert Boyd is assigned the duty of carrying out the checks the night Matt and Sweat plan their escape. In fact, Sweat even expresses that he is glad the plan will come to fruition during Boyd’s watch. However, the manner in which he says it suggests a lack of pre-planning, which deviates from the real version of events. Ultimately, Boyd plays a small but recurring role throughout the season, often stepping on Sweat and Matt’s toes during the regular checks and patrols. The CO has a diametrically opposed relationship with his inmates compared to Gene Palmer, the escort guard with a tight transactional bond with Richard Matt in particular. While his origins may have been vaguely rooted in Ronald Blair, he is a fictional character that does not exist in reality.

Read More: Escape at Dannemora: Is Mr Lobell AKA Murder Based on a Real Prison Inmate?

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