Criminal Justice Adjunct Professor Patrick Johnson, a retired warden of the Chautauqua County Jail, was selected as an expert analyst for CNN's "Newsroom," with anchor Carol Costello, on Monday, Sept. 14. This is Mr. Johnson's fifth appearance on the program since the initial escape of two convicted murderers from the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora.
This most recent invitation followed an exclusive interview given by Joyce Mitchell, the former prison seamstress who helped the two convicts escape. Mitchell, who faces up to seven years in prison for her role in the events which led to a highly publicized and costly nationwide manhunt, was interviewed by Matt Lauer on The Today Show earlier that day.
Mr. Johnson, a Fredonia alumnus from the Class of '85, was first identified as an expert by former student Jud Heussler, who now works as a DJ at Entercom Buffalo. Johnson was first interviewed by WBEN-AM radio in Buffalo when the prison break began earlier this summer, as a means of localizing the story. Before long other media, including TV stations in Buffalo, Rochester and New York City, followed suit, due to his experience working in and leading a similarly designed correctional facility in New York State.
