Henry Hodges, who was sentenced to death for the 1990 killing of a telephone repairman, filed a lawsuit last October accusing the state of providing inadequate medical and mental health care and subjecting him to abuse.Sign up to receive daily headline news from Ottawa Citizen, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.
In an order filed Thursday, Myles agreed security was a legitimate concern but said, “It cannot be the case that every single representation of the interior of RMSI poses a security risk.” She noted that “the Tennessee Department of Correction itself has shared video footage showing the interior of RMSI on its Youtube page.”
According to Hodges’ complaint, he was suffering from a psychotic episode in early October when he began smearing feces on the walls of his cell. Rather than provide him with mental health treatment, prison officers began withholding food from Hodges, according to the complaint. Several hours of prison surveillance video were also filed under seal. Myles ordered for those videos to remain sealed until after the stay on the case is lifted. At that time, she will review with the state which portions of the video should be redacted and which can be released.