What Causes Some People to Fall in Love With Prisoners?

David Sweat (left), Joyce Mitchell (middle), and Richard Matt (right). Mitchell is accused of helping Sweat and Matt escape from a New York prison earlier this month; she reportedly had romantic relationships with both of them. (Photo: New York State Police via AP)

People around the country have been riveted by the story of convicted criminals David Sweat and Richard Matt, who escaped from New York’s largest prison earlier this month. After weeks on the run, Matt is now dead and Sweat is in custody. But the story of how they escaped is intriguing, given that it was allegedly sparked by romance.

Joyce Mitchell, an instructor at the prison tailor shop where Matt and Sweat worked, was arrested in mid-June in connection with the escape. Sources tell NBC News that the married 51-year-old woman developed a relationship with Matt and “thought it was love.” A former prisoner told The New York Post that Mitchell also developed a relationship with Sweat, allegedly having sex with him an estimated 100 times in a prison closet. (Mitchell has maintained that she is innocent.)

But if the reports of romance are in fact true, they wouldn’t be the first time a prison worker has fallen in love with a convict (or convicts). This weekend, a prison food service worker in North Carolina was accused of helping inmate Kristopher McNeil escape, after developing a sexual relationship with him. Kendra Lynette Miller was arrested on Sunday and charged with having sex with an inmate, giving him a cell phone, harboring a fugitive, and aiding and abetting a fugitive, The Charlotte Observer reports. (McNeil was recaptured late Sunday night.)

Related: Why We Couldn’t Stop Watching the David Sweat and Richard Matt Fugitive Drama

It’s not just prison workers who develop feelings for inmates — those in the civilian world do, too. Scott Peterson, who was sentenced to death in 2005 for murdering his wife and unborn child, reportedly received dozens of letters from women and even two marriage proposals before he arrived at San Quentin State Prison. Erik and Lyle Menendez, who are serving jail time for the 1989 shooting of their parents, have both married women who reached out to them after they were imprisoned.

(Editor’s note: Spoiler alert ahead for “Orange is the New Black.”)

And though fictional, Orange is the New Black fans will remember the storyline in season 3 when inmate Lorna Morello receives visits from a line of prison pen-pals/suitors, even going on to marry one of them.

Lorna Morello and Vince Muccio, her prison-pen-pal-turned-husband. (Photo: Netlfix)

But why are some people drawn to prisoners, even though they’ve been convicted of committing dangerous crimes? According to clinical psychologist John Mayer, PhD, who is often hired by law enforcement officials to evaluate the mental health of prisoners, it’s all about romance. “Their story before imprisonment conjures up adventure, love/hate, and being wronged,” he tells Yahoo Health. As a result, some people — many of them being women — get sucked in and want to help.

While most of us would be wary of someone who has been convicted of a serious crime, Mayer says criminals are often very persuasive and the majority of them will tell those they come into contact with that they’re innocent.

Emotional immaturity can also make someone more likely to be drawn to the bad boy allure of a criminal, adds Mayer.

Related: 5 Habits of Emotionally Intelligent People

Mitchell’s husband told NBC News that he and his wife “never fight” and were always together, adding that their marriage had seemed “excellent” before the revelations. That stable marriage and complacency may have actually been what caused Mitchell to get involved with Matt and Sweat, since Mayer says people who develop intimate relationships with prisoners often crave excitement in their lives.

There are a few other warning signs that someone is more likely to get involved with a prisoner, Mayer says, and surprisingly they’re the same characteristics that would make you think they wouldn’t fall for a prisoner.

People who aren’t natural rule-breakers are especially vulnerable to falling for prisoners because the idea of having a relationship with an inmate is intoxicating, says Mayer. Those with a strong need to nurture others are also at risk, because they think they’ll be the one to reform a criminal. “Guess what? It never happens,” says Mayer.

But how do these people go from falling for a prisoner to actually becoming criminals by helping them to escape? It’s because they’re blinded by love … and often used as pawns in a larger game. “These criminals are often extremely good at manipulating people,” Mayer says. “That’s survival for them.”

Both Mitchell and Miller are currently in jail. 

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