The infamous Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York, in
2015 became the site of one of the most famous prison breaks in modern
American history. But the conditions that made possible the notorious
escape and the massive manhunt that ensued had festered for many years.
Having earned the nickname of "Little Siberia", the brutal winters
contributed to the already depressing façade of the facility. During the
long, dark hours, the wind howled outside and sounded like ghosts
haunting the halls of the prison.
Dannemora had a proud past. Every employee chose to work there and there
was always a transfer list of staff waiting to work there. It was a hard
prison for hardened criminals. Having housed the likes of mobster
Charlie "Lucky" Luciano, "Son of Sam" David Berkowitz, Rappers Tupac
Shakur, and Ol' Dirty Bastard, and countless other infamous criminals,
the staff at the Clinton Correctional Facility knew how to handle even
the toughest of men.
Like most prisons, Clinton was a place of routine. Each day was very
much like the day before. It was a big, clunking machine that simply ran
each day unless someone in the administration used poor judgment and
tried to implement an unsafe change in policy or targeted the wrong
staff member.
The author, Michael H. Blaine spent a career at the Clinton Correctional
Facility. Having been an Officer, Sergeant, and Lieutenant, his story
reveals the changes he observed and what he experienced at each rank he
earned. Refusing to compromise his principles and sickened by the
downward spiral that Clinton was experiencing, he retired less than 10
1/2 months before the first successful escape at Dannemora happened on
June 6, 2015.
This new book reveals the inner workings of this massive prison. It is
the first look inside at what it was like to work at the Clinton
Correctional Facility, and its effects on those who spent time there on
both sides of the bars, revealing why nobody escapes The Invisible
Walls of Dannemora.
