Grantee on Panel Discussing Negligence in Tribal Jail Deaths. On Thursday, November 18, 2021, grantee Nate Hegyi was joined by Chris Yazzie, Brandy Tomhave, and Thea Wilshire for a conversation on the future and state of tribal jails.
Hegyi’s Pulitzer Center-supported project, Promised Justice, tells the stories of neglect and insufficient medical care and resources in tribal jails. Yazzie is a Navajo grandfather of four multi-tribal granddaughters and a registered nurse with the State of Arizona. Tomhave, a lawyer, is an enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation and has dedicated her legal career to untangling federal policies that undermine tribal sovereignty and violate the rights of Native people. Wilshire works as a psychologist, author, and educator.
Leading the conversation, Yazzie spoke personally about having lost his brother Carlos to medical neglect in a tribal detention center in New Mexico, Hegyi reported. The sons of a Vietnam veteran, Yazzie and his brother grew up in a c
A Black man who spent more than 20 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted for armed robbery is finally free after New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams’ office decided not to retry the case.
Jermaine Hudson, 42, won his freedom on March 26, the day after his accuser the key witness in the case, came forward and recanted his testimony, admitting he lied about the robbery to cover up the fact that he’d spent money on drugs, according to The Promise of Justice Initiative.
“I just thank God that it’s finally over,” Hudson said, according to NOLA.com. “Thank God for revealing the truth. I forgive the guy and pray that he gets his life back on track.” He spent 22 years behind bars.