Death row inmate cuts off penis, smears feces on wall during 'psychiatric' meltdown over food package
A death row inmate in Tennessee engaged in significant self-harm, including castrating himself and slitting his wrists, during a major meltdown he recently had over a special food package that had been denied him.
Some time earlier this month, Henry Eugene Hodges, 56, became outraged when his request for a special food package at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville had been refused. According to institutional rules, inmates with a clean record for six months may request such a food package, but Hodges made his request a month early, after only five months of good behavior, and was therefore denied.
The denial supposedly sent Hodges into a rage, and he began smearing feces on his cell wall in protest. Guards then decided to deny him food altogether, likely to minimize the feces he could produce and then spread.
Hodges responded by slitting his wrists with a razor he had hidden. He also asked to be put on suicide watch and was transferred to an infirmary. His attorney, Kelley Henry, claimed that during his stay in the infirmary, a "high ranking correctional officer" told the person or persons treating Hodges that Hodges was manipulating them and that Hodges should be kept under suicide watch in his cell.
After he was returned to his cell, Hodges found a glass shard from a broken window and used the shard to cut off his penis during a two-hour standoff with prison guards. Hodges was eventually restrained and taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where medical teams were able to surgically reattach his penis. Whether full function has been restored is unclear.
Ms. Henry has railed against prison officials, suggesting that they had neglected her client's mental health.
"He needs competent mental health care" and "is enduring ongoing psychiatric harm as a result of these conditions," she said.
She also claimed that Hodges had been placed in 6-point restraints after 4-point restraints failed to prevent him from removing his catheter. Once he agreed to take medication, he was placed back in 4-point restraints but was still left naked on a thin mattress for reportedly as long as a week.
"Surely the prison can find a place to put him where he is not a danger to himself or others and does not have to be tied down like an animal," Henry asserted. She said she intends to file a complaint with the state, claiming that the prison had violated Hodges' constitutional rights.
In 1992, Hodges was convicted of the 1990 robbery and murder of Ronald Bassett, a phone repairman, and sentenced to death. He is also serving a life sentence for murdering Michael Whisnant, a chemical engineer from North Carolina, in an Atlanta hotel room and another life sentence for stabbing to death Barry McDonald, an Inglewood nurse, in 1989.
During the late 80s, Hodges participated in homosexual prostitution, though he denies that he is homosexual. He also claimed that he had suffered sexual abuse as an adolescent and that he feared telling his father about the abuse because of his father's homophobia. There are multiple reports that he engaged in homosexual relationships.
Ms. Henry claimed that Hodges has been diagnosed as bipolar and is susceptible to psychotic episodes.
Frightening photos of Alabama prisoner go viral, but state DOC claims he won't cooperate with medical advice
The family of a prisoner in Alabama has taken to social media to share photos which they say demonstrate that the state Department of Corrections has neglected his health. However, the ADOC has since released other information which suggests the man may have defied the recommendations of those treating him.
Kastello Vaughan, aka Kastellio, 32, has been housed at Elmore Correctional Facility since July 2019, serving a 20-year sentence for first-degree robbery, breaking into a vehicle, and several other crimes he committed in Baldwin and Mobile counties. Family members visited him on July 24 of this year, at which time his sister Kassie Vaughan claimed he appeared "in good condition." However, they say that they recently received alarming photos which indicate that his health has deteriorated rapidly of late. They visited him again on Sunday and said they are now convinced that prison officials have neglected his care.
"He's looking terrible," said another sister, Kascie Vaughan, twin sister of Kassie. "Just one word: terrible. He's feeling weak in spirit. He's really just, he's really feeling low. He doesn't look like Kastellio, the brother that we know."
Kassie Vaughan shared the disturbing images on Facebook, and they have since gone viral. Kastello Vaughan's lawyers — Lee Merritt, Harry Daniels, and Ben Crump — claim that he has lost 75 lbs. in less than a month. He also has difficulty walking, they say, and must wear absorbent undergarments, which a fellow prisoner must help him change.
In another post, Kassie Vaughan wrote that her brother's feet are still discolored and "swollen" to "the size of footballs," and that he "is scared to lose his legs and his life." She, other family members, and his legal team say they remain "deeply concerned about his safety in that prison."
However, the ADOC has released a statement claiming that Kastello Vaughan has been given "a constitutional level [of] care," but that he has not followed the advice of doctors and nurses. Officials claim that he has received medical attention at least 11 times since July 30, including surgery for a bowel obstruction on August 5. This bowel obstruction, the statement asserted, was a continued complication stemming from a gunshot wound he sustained previously.
However, the statement continued, Vaughan discharged himself "Against Medical Advice" five days later. After he was treated again for the same issue on September 3, the ADOC said Vaughan once again discharged himself AMA four days later and then "refused all medication."
"The ADOC offers medical assessment and treatment to all inmates but does not force them to accept that care," the statement concluded.
Kassie Vaughan dismissed that statement as "A LIE" on Facebook and denied that her brother ever signed a waiver to release his medical records, as the ADOC claimed in its statement. She asserted that he "is not in the correct mental state to sign anything."
On her brother's behalf, Kassie Vaughan also reportedly created a GoFundMe account, which has already raised nearly $51,000 for further legal expenses.
"It doesn't matter what Kastellio did, why he was in jail," said his attorney Harry Daniels. "Doesn't matter. As society as a whole, as human beings, we have a duty to one another. It doesn't matter what that person is imprisoned for.
"We need this man to get well, all right. We need him to get help. That's not asking for a whole lot."
25 Illinois inmates arrested on felony charges managed to secure PPP business loans: Report
More than two dozen residents near Joliet, Illinois, who are currently or were recently in custody for felony charges seem to have wanted federal charges levied against them as well.
According to reports, 25 inmates secured fraudulent business loans through the Paycheck Protection Program issued during the COVID-related shutdowns of 2020, and at least some of them used the money to bond themselves out of jail while they await trial. Police say that these inmates created fake businesses for themselves to apply for small business loans issued through PPP. They also reportedly used fake addresses or their own addresses and, in some cases, even the jail phone to secure these loans.
"We did several periodic spot checks on the residence[s] [given on the loan applications]," said Detective James Kilgore of the Joliet Police Department. "It just looked like a residence. There was no actual business there. We also checked with the City of Joliet for any type of business license for that address or anybody in that family, which also was negative results."
These individuals allegedly obtained loans of about $20,000 each, bringing the total fraudulent cost to taxpayers to approximately $500,000.
Several local and federal agencies were involved in investigating what has been dubbed as "Operation Triple P." Those agencies include the Joliet police, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Marshals, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Inspector General Office, and the Will County state’s attorney's office.
Last November, officials began comparing the list of local PPP recipients with those facing felony charges, since those accused of a felony are ineligible for PPP loans. Despite that restriction, investigators found that 25 names overlapped.
As of Wednesday, 15 of the names on that list had already been rearrested, and warrants for the other 10 had been issued. Those who have been arrested are: Adrian Bailey, Maria Beach, Adrian Clark, Walter Duncan, Antwan Godfrey, Jacques Harris Jr., Makhi Jones, Monroe Lincoln Jr., Anthony Love, Ronald Neal, Victoria Orasco, Jarvis Perkins, Ryan Reddick, Reginald Rogers Jr., and Jesse Tucker. Those who have yet to be served are: Cristian Ambriz, Sonjre Childs, Tommie Crockwell, Raven Johnson, Matthew Millirons, Jeremy Moffete, Darron Prince, Maurice Robinson, Eric Tyler, and Donte Wash.
At least some of the suspects had allegedly been in Will County Jail on felony drug or weapons charges when they applied for the PPP loans, but all are now facing a bevy of new charges, some including wire fraud, loan fraud, and theft.
Investigators believe that such fraudulent schemes have occurred throughout the country.
"This is like the pandemic," said Homeland Security Special Agent in Charge Sean Fitzgerald. "It’s absolutely everywhere as well."
As crime rates soar, New York Gov. attempts to 'improve public safety' by changing law so that 'inmates' will now be referred to as 'incarcerated individuals'
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has just signed a law that stipulates "inmates" in her state will now be referred to as "incarcerated individuals," a move that is unlikely to stymie the surge in violent crime that has recently plagued nearly every major metropolitan area in America, including New York City.
According to a statement released by her office, Hochul claims that the language change will help "justice-involved" persons feel better about themselves and may perhaps encourage them to engage more seriously in their rehabilitation efforts.
"Individuals impacted by the criminal justice system have long noted that terms such as felon, inmate, prisoner, and convict dehumanize individuals and perpetuate the idea that incarcerated people should be permanently demonized and stigmatized," the statement reads in part. "This language change within state law will reduce stigma against people involved in the criminal justice system and therefore eliminate barriers to opportunities that they face."
Hochul also added that "[b]y treating all New Yorkers with dignity and respect, we can improve public safety while ensuring New Yorkers have a fair shot at a second chance."
Democratic state Sen. Gustavo Rivera, who sponsored the legislation, agreed.
"For too long, we as a society have thought of incarcerated individuals as less than people," Gustavo said. "The use of the word ‘inmate’ further dehumanizes and demoralizes them. This is another concrete step our State is taking to make our criminal justice system one that focuses on rehabilitation, rather than relying solely on punishment."
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo actually signed the legislation making the language change last summer. However, due to legal technicalities, the law had to be re-signed in the 2021-2022 legislative session, according to WYRK.
While Cuomo, Rivera, Hochul, and other New York officials appear optimistic that the change in language will dramatically alter the self-esteem of convicted criminals, it is unlikely to alter the wave of violent crime in New York City or the depleted morale of the NYPD who have been charged with combating it.
Fox 5 NY reports that violent crime on NYC subways last month was up 57% over July 2021. Meanwhile, big city police departments are struggling to attract new recruits and retain those already on staff.
"We’re getting more calls for service and there are fewer people to answer them,” said Philadelphia police spokesperson Eric Gripp. “This isn’t just an issue in Philadelphia. Departments all over are down and recruitment has been difficult."
Still, Gov. Hochul remains confident that the new law "correcting outdated terminology" will mitigate the "harmful stigma against incarcerated people."
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