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Daja E. Henry

@dajaehenry.com

well-fed + well-read. | staff writer @themarshallproject.org - jackson 🦬 howard alumna 📍mississippi

28 Posts562 Follower124 Folgt
Daja E. Henry@dajaehenry.com · 2mo ago

After 20 years in solitary confinement and an overturned death sentence, Quintez Hodges died by hanging in 2021. “This is not a fucking suicide. They were killing this man," Joesph Patri Brown told me from death row. @themarshallproject.org www.themarshallproject.org/2026/06/09/m...

They Spent Years in Solitary Confinement in Mississippi Despite Suicide Risk

For decades, MDOC has regularly held incarcerated people in solitary confinement for weeks, months — and in some cases — years at a time.

themarshallproject.org

Daja E. Henry@dajaehenry.com · 2mo ago

After 20 years in solitary confinement and an overturned death sentence, Quintez Hodges died by hanging in 2021. “This is not a fucking suicide. They were killing this man," Joesph Patri Brown told me from death row. @themarshallproject.org www.themarshallproject.org/2026/06/09/m...

They Spent Years in Solitary Confinement in Mississippi Despite Suicide Risk

For decades, MDOC has regularly held incarcerated people in solitary confinement for weeks, months — and in some cases — years at a time.

themarshallproject.org

Daja E. Henry@dajaehenry.com · 2mo ago

Denise Short, 21, pleaded for help. Instead, she was sent to solitary confinement, where she died by suicide. Despite a legion of evidence of its harms, solitary confinement was the common factor in nearly 75% of suicides in Mississippi prisons since 2015. www.themarshallproject.org/2026/06/08/m...

Mississippi Prisoners Begged for Help. They Died in Solitary Instead.

An investigation found there were at least 47 suicides in solitary confinement in Mississippi, where cries for mental health care were met with isolation and punishment.

themarshallproject.org

Daja E. Henry@dajaehenry.com · 5mo ago

Mississippi prison officials told Mary Anderson her uncle died of a heart attack while incarcerated. A year later, the FBI is investigating his death as a homicide. He was reportedly beaten to death by prison guards. My latest for @themarshallproject.org www.themarshallproject.org/2026/02/24/m...

FBI investigating Mississippi Prison Death Involving Guards

Melvin Cancer was killed by guards beating him inside the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, a new report shows.

themarshallproject.org

The Marshall Project@themarshallproject.org · 5mo ago

When Mississippi officials informed Mary Anderson that her uncle had died in prison, they told her he had suffered a heart attack. But now the FBI is investigating the 2025 death of Melvin Cancer at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility as a homicide, and the guards as alleged perpetrators.

FBI investigating Mississippi Prison Death Involving Guards

Melvin Cancer was killed by guards beating him inside the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, a new report shows.

themarshallproject.org

Daja E. Henry@dajaehenry.com · 6mo ago

In 1962, JFK used the Insurrection Act — an emergency power typically used to uphold civil rights & stop violent uprisings — to end a White supremacist uprising at Ole Miss. Years later, Trump wanted to use it differently, unleashing troops on Minnesotans. www.themarshallproject.org/2026/01/27/i...

How Trump’s Insurrection Act Threat Differs From JFK’s Use in Miss.

The military has been used domestically about 30 times since 1807, mostly to enforce civil rights and quell riots. Can they be used to quash political protests?

themarshallproject.org

The Marshall Project@themarshallproject.org · 8mo ago

Food service company Aramark is leaving incarcerated people in West Virginia with empty stomachs and their loved ones with empty pockets, a federal class-action lawsuit alleges. Our story from @dajaehenry.com:

Aramark Cuts Free Prison Meals to Boost Profits, New Suit Claims

A lawsuit claims the prison food company is cutting institutional meals to force incarcerated people to purchase costly food from the same vendor.

themarshallproject.org

Mississippi Free Press@mississippifreepress.org · 8mo ago

At least 60 people arrested in Hinds County have been jailed in its detention facilities for over three months—including at least five for more than a year—with no indictment filed against them and no pathway to a trial in sight. buff.ly/Z0Exzpl

Dozens Locked in Hinds County’s Jails Without an Indictment—Some for Over a Year

At least 60 people arrested in Hinds County have been jailed in its detention facilities for over three months with no indictment filed against them.

mississippifreepress.org

Daja E. Henry@dajaehenry.com · 8mo ago

Dozens have been locked up in Hinds County for >3 months with no indictment, a critical step in getting to trial. Many of them are crammed into Raymond Detention Center, where a man was killed this year. One man has been locked up for 18 months. My latest: www.themarshallproject.org/2025/12/05/h...

Why Hinds County Jail Is Holding Too Many People Without an Indictment

The newly appointed federal receiver has asked the county’s district attorney to move more cases, while the DA has asked the county for more money.

themarshallproject.org

Daja E. Henry@dajaehenry.com · 10mo ago

After our reporting on 43 prison homicides, MDOC commissioner Burl Cain said the dept will review the more than two dozen unprosecuted killings, as well as deaths of undetermined causes that have happened withinin prison walls since 2015. To read more: www.themarshallproject.org/2025/10/14/m...

Why Mississippi Will Reopen Prison Homicide Cases Dating Back to 2015

Nearly 50 prison deaths will be examined, following a joint investigation by multiple Mississippi newsrooms.

themarshallproject.org

Harms Committed@harmscommitted.com · 10mo ago

"[C]ruel and unusual punishment." "Plumbing issues, vermin infestations, feces-covered walls, and limited access to basic hygiene products, such as soap or tampons, are common complaints." "I haven't had a shower in three to four weeks." #Missouri #Ohio #Mississippi #USA #Incarceration

Why America’s Jails Are So Disgusting

Understaffing, outdated facilities and poor management have led to filthy conditions in jails in St. Louis, Cleveland and Hinds County, Mississippi.

themarshallproject.org

Daja E. Henry@dajaehenry.com · 10mo ago

Filth, dysfunction and extortion. "It's the wild, wild west in there," Tedrick Francois told me after spending time in Raymond Detention Center. People awaiting trial there sleep alongside mice, have limited access to laundry, and must pay to use a toilet. www.themarshallproject.org/2025/10/09/j...

Why America’s Jails Are So Disgusting

Understaffing, outdated facilities and poor management have led to filthy conditions in jails in St. Louis, Cleveland and Hinds County, Mississippi.

themarshallproject.org

Mississippi Free Press@mississippifreepress.org · 10mo ago

The second autopsy on the body of Delta State University student Trey Reed has not been released, despite uncorroborated social media rumors currently circulating claiming it uncovered evidence of foul play. Reed, who was Black, was found hanging from a tree on the campus in Cleveland last month.

The Facts: Trey Reed’s 2nd Autopsy Has Not Been Released, Despite Rumors

The second autopsy on the body of Delta State University student Trey Reed has not been released, despite uncorroborated social media rumors.

buff.ly

Mark Puente@markpuente.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Cuyahoga County officials never disclosed that Ms. Grant died as a result of being physically restrained by a deputy. The Marshall Project-Cleveland team broke the news last night. w/ @brittanyhailer.bsky.social & Doug Livingston. www.themarshallproject.org/2025/09/25/c...

Cuyahoga County Jail Transfer Ends With Death at MetroHealth

A special prosecutor is reviewing the actions of hospital workers and a sheriff’s deputy after the medical examiner ruled Tasha Grant’s death a homicide.

themarshallproject.org

The Marshall Project@themarshallproject.org · 10mo ago

🔍 Join us now in a Reddit AMA with The Marshall Project - Jackson's @dajaehenry.com and @mississippitoday.org's Mina Corpuz, who are discussing their investigation into Mississippi's deadly prisons where at least 43 people have been killed since 2015:

From the IAmA community on Reddit: At least 43 people have been killed in Mississippi prisons since 2015. Just 6 people have been convicted. We’re journalists who spent nearly a year investigating the...

Explore this post and more from the IAmA community

reddit.com

Paul D'Ambrosio@paul-dambrosio.bsky.social · 11mo ago

Inside Mississippi’s Deadly Prisons: 42 killings, few answers — read the new investigative series @themarshallproject.org @prisonculture.bsky.social @prisonpolicy.org @prisonjournalism.bsky.social @aclu.org @dajaehenry.com www.themarshallproject.org/tag/mississi...

Dozens Killed. Few Brought to Justice. This is Life Inside Mississippi’s Prisons.

Inside Mississippi prisons, murder is never far away. Reporters uncover why violence has become routine and killings go unchecked.

themarshallproject.org

Daja E. Henry@dajaehenry.com · 11mo ago

“No one deserves to die like this." At least *43* people have been killed in Mississippi prisons since 2015. Poor staffing, lax oversight and gangs who rule by violence make it easier for killings to go unchecked. Read more: www.themarshallproject.org/2025/09/11/m...

Dozens of Killings Inside Mississippi Prisons Rarely Get Justice

At least 42 incarcerated people have been killed in the last decade. Just six people have been convicted in their deaths.

themarshallproject.org

Harms Committed@harmscommitted.com · 11mo ago

"At least 42 people have been killed inside Mississippi prisons in the past decade." "In the first half of this year, there were five homicides." "'[A]n unimaginable pain you all gave me. This grief will last forever,' one victim's mother wrote." #Mississippi #USA #Healthcare #Incarceration

Dozens of Killings Inside Mississippi Prisons Rarely Get Justice

At least 42 incarcerated people have been killed in the last decade. Just six people have been convicted in their deaths.

themarshallproject.org

Ashton Pittman@ashtonpittman.bsky.social · last yr.

"When Semiko Crump arrived at Raymond Detention Center in December 2023, she said officers threw her 'in the hole.' Crump estimates she was in the dark, single-person cell for a few hours, writhing in pain from a broken foot." Reporting by @dajaehenry.com @themarshallproject.org.

Some Hinds County Detainees Go Years Without Seeing the Sun

Jails in Jackson and other cities don’t always provide direct access to sunlight and fresh air—even when their own policies require it.

mississippifreepress.org

Daja E. Henry@dajaehenry.com · last yr.

Police killed Phillip Gibbs, 21, and James Earl Green, 17, & wounded several others #OTD in 1970 at Jackson State & got away with it. 55 years later, the DOJ is investigating, but turmoil at the dept. could threaten what may be a last attempt at justice. www.themarshallproject.org/2025/05/14/j...

Civil Rights Probe of 1970 Jackson State, Mississippi, Killings At Risk?

The Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Act made way for investigations of racially motivated killings. The federal agency enforcing it is in disarray.

themarshallproject.org

Daja E. Henry@dajaehenry.com · last yr.

Police killed Phillip Gibbs, 21, and James Earl Green, 17, & wounded several others #OTD in 1970 at Jackson State & got away with it. 55 years later, the DOJ is investigating, but turmoil at the dept. could threaten what may be a last attempt at justice. www.themarshallproject.org/2025/05/14/j...

Civil Rights Probe of 1970 Jackson State, Mississippi, Killings At Risk?

The Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Act made way for investigations of racially motivated killings. The federal agency enforcing it is in disarray.

themarshallproject.org

Ethan Corey@ethanscorey.bsky.social · last yr.

Fantastic explainer/Q&A from @dajaehenry.com feat. @stroud.bsky.social on the prospect of a federal receivership (what's that?—read the story!) at the Hinds County jail in Jackson, Mississippi. www.themarshallproject.org/2025/03/26/h...

What Will Happen to the Hinds County Jail Once Under Court Control?

When death and violence plagued the jail, the federal courts stepped in. We talked with an expert about what to expect from a receivership.

themarshallproject.org