Clinton Prison has hosted the best and worst criminals in the country, from gentleman scam artists and bank robbers to vicious serial killers who murdered on a whim and dismembered their victims. 
Included within the book’s pages are those stories and much more—ingenious breakout artists and how they escaped, details on severe punishments and tortures imposed at Clinton for a half century, and profiles of dozens of the most famous, infamous, and unusual prisoners ever confined within Dannemora’s walls.
The great fortress—whether you know it as Clinton Prison, Clinton Correctional Facility, or Dannemora Prison—represents mystery to most people. 
Above is how it looked in 1869, surrounded by a tall picket fence. On the left is the twenty-foot-high stone wall that rimmed the prison from 1888 to the 1930s. On the right is a modern-day aerial view of Clinton Main on the left, enclosed within the familiar thirty-foot-high cement barrier, and the Annex on the right.
In all its forms, the prison has seen dozens of remarkable escapes, some of them more amazing than the 2015 breakout. For nearly its full 170 years, inmates have considered Clinton the toughest facility in the state, a reputation based on its violent history.
