We last heard from Lady Lifer ahead of her public hearing for commutation on May 9th, 2025. Well… SHE WAS SET FREE on June 18th, 2025 after serving 38 years of a LIFE sentence!! One of the fastest commutation turn arounds to date! Our Co-Executive Director BL Shirelle got a chance to catch up with her on how she’s been doing since being released. FREE THEM ALL… well… maybe not ALL lol…
I sat down with Dannielle over Zoom, but after some struggling to get that to work on her end, we switched to a Google Meet which did the trick on her end. For someone who’s been away from tech for 38 years, I was impressed!
Edited by BL Shirelle
BL Shirelle: I love your patience and excitement with figuring out this tech driven world, that’s refreshing. When you said you’re a nerd, and you’re embracing the challenge of learning technology, that’s good. Because for anyone who’s done like 20+ years, that’s the biggest challenge. Adjusting to all this tech stuff, but you’re gonna do great. I can feel it.
Dannielle Hadley: Thank you. Well, I plan on going to school. I wanna be a webmaster. I want to design websites and pages, maybe even write some code. We’ll see.
BL Shirelle: Oh wow, that’s wonderful. I’m not super techie, but I’m good enough to get by. I’m learning, though. I damn sure don’t know how to build a website. I know how to put stuff on it, make it look good, but the back end? Yeah, I don’t know. You’re gonna have to teach me some of that.
Dannielle Hadley: (Laughs) Yeah, we can help each other out. I’m learning as I go, too. I know we got it.
Dannielle Hadley & family.
BL Shirelle: I love that. So, how have you been? I know it’s a lot to adjust to.
Dannielle Hadley: I’m okay. I had to fight to get my birth certificate and ID, but I got it. Now, I’m trying to schedule doctor’s appointments, take care of my health. But I’m thankful, I’m blessed. I’m just embracing each day, taking it one day at a time.
BL Shirelle: Amen. That’s all you can do, really. So, how long have you been home now? When we talked before, you were getting ready to cook for your sons. How long have you been spending nights out of the halfway house?
Dannielle Hadley: I don’t spend the night yet — just go from 1pm to 7pm. But yeah, I’ve been going to church first, then to my mom’s from 1pm to 7pm. Just really enjoying that time with family. I’ve been home 5 weeks now and I still truly can’t believe it.
BL Shirelle: How’s that been, getting back with your family? I know for you, you’ve always been close with your family, but some people struggle with reuniting after so many years. Has it been hard for you, or do you feel like it’s just picking up where you left off?
Dannielle Hadley: I’ve never been without them. My mom kept me in the loop. I watched my kids and grandkids grow up. We stayed in touch through letters and calls. I always had input on decisions being made regarding their well being. Being with them now, physically — sometimes, it still feels surreal. I have to remind myself this is real. It’s a blessing, and I don’t take it for granted. I’m just so thankful. The other day I was showing them cards and letters they wrote to me when they were little. I kept every single one of them.
Dannielle Hadley introduces the song and sings in choir.
BL Shirelle: That’s beautiful. And God rest your mom’s soul. I was so sad when I heard she passed right before your hearing. But honestly, when I heard that devastating news –– something told me you were about to get out. It’s like God works in mysterious ways, doesn’t he?
Dannielle Hadley: He really does. When he shows up, he shows up. Sometimes you don’t know when or how, but you just gotta trust that it’s gonna happen. It doesn’t happen without work on your part though. Sometimes, people can’t face the gravity of their actions. They get defensive. I understand that, too. It’s hard to take responsibility for something heavy. But you can’t really grow if you don’t own up to it. God works through the things that matter most to us. He’ll find a way to make us see, even if it’s in a different form than we expect.
BL Shirelle: Yeah, and I’ve been thinking about that lately — about forgiveness. Not just asking for it, but living it. It’s about showing it in your actions and how you move forward.
Dannielle Hadley: That’s the key. Asking for forgiveness is one thing, but showing it in how you live — that’s the real work. You gotta walk the walk.
BL Shirelle: Exactly. So, let's talk about food! What have you been cooking lately? You said you cooked for your sons recently.
Dannielle Hadley: I made some short thighs, and I made a honey mustard sauce. Something I'm sure they had never tasted before. I took some honey, some Dijon mustard, some Worcester sauce and an orange and mixed them together and marinated the chicken with it. I mixed some black beans and some corn, cut up some red peppers, a yellow pepper and some onions; cooked it in butter. I made some white rice and poured it on top of it… they thought it was delicious! My son's always talking about “we don’t want that jailhouse food!!” [Laughs] I had to show em’ something.
BL Shirelle: That sounds amazing! You’ve got me wanting some. I still love Chi-Chi’s. Even after all these years.
Dannielle Hadley: [Laughs] I’m not a fan of Chi-Chi. But, hey, to each their own! I still love mackerel and rice and potato balls though!
BL Shirelle: You haven’t had mine yet! I make a mean one. I’ll show you how it’s done in the free world. So, when I was recently in New York you asked me for some pictures. You’ve always been into exploring new places. Where’s the first place you want to go when you can?
Dannielle Hadley: I wanna go visit my cousin in Hawaii, and I’ve got family in California and Virginia too. I really wanna travel abroad — Germany and England are at the top of my list. My cousin travels the world, and we used to go on road trips when we were younger. We would just hop in the car and go without a real destination. Now, I just wanna see the world.
BL Shirelle: I feel you. Wherever your heart takes you, I hope you get to go.
Dannielle Hadley: I’m gonna make it happen. I feel it coming.
BL Shirelle: Since you’ve been out, how often do you think about prison and the women still in there? I know it’s gotta be on your mind a lot.
Dannielle Hadley: Every day. Someone reaches out to me almost daily, and I think about my sisters who’ve been there. It’s hard knowing they’re still stuck. I don’t want them to give up hope. I’m writing letters, sending cards, doing what I can to let them know they’re not forgotten.
BL Shirelle: Yeah, we’ve gotta keep that fight going. Our next focus is on getting Miss Bert and Miss Brenda out. We need to keep that pressure on.
Dannielle Hadley: Once my feet are under me just a little bit, I’ll do whatever I can. I want to set up a website, write letters, and keep the cause alive. Can’t be out here and not look back. People like us, who’ve been through it, we’re the ones who will appreciate freedom the most. We’re gonna make the most of this second chance. I’m all in.
BL Shirelle: Absolutely, FREE THEM ALL!!
BL Shirelle & Dannielle Hadley (Simultaneously): Well, not ALL!! (both laugh)
BL Shirelle: It’s funny we both feel the same about this. The vast majority of lifers and long termers are either completely rehabilitated or aged out, but there is a small 2% who are genuinely not good people. The whole thing with [Pennsylvania Governor] Shapiro is he’s very slow to act. I’ve been a bit skeptical and critical about him. He killed our momentum for a second. It was like he didn’t want to touch anything to mess up his chances for something bigger — he’s obviously trying to be a national star or something. Since he’s signed off on your release, I’m starting to feel hopeful. We just gotta keep the pressure on him.
It’s a certain person who wanted my support and I couldn’t vouch for them. Because you ain’t gonna mess this movement up. In my experience you’re a horrible person. That would hurt so many people’s chances. If I truly believe that you're not worthy, I can’t support you. I’m sorry — it’s for the greater good.
Dannielle Hadley: Yes, you know me, I’m doing my best to stay on the path that was put before me and not have those judgmental feelings and attitudes. But dude, come on. Nope, it's 99 years later, you’re literally still the same person.
We just gotta make it clear: this is non-negotiable. There are people who’ve been in for 40, 50 years. They’ve paid their dues. They don’t need to be there any longer. If you put your money on us, we’re gonna make the best of this second chance. We won’t let you down. The vast majority of us.
BL Shirelle: So in terms of needs… what’s your priority list? What are you focusing on right now? Anything we can help you with?
Dannielle Hadley: Yeah, so the first thing I need is a mattress. A really good mattress. I also need to get some teeth. I don’t have all my teeth, just the front ones. I really need some new ones. And of course, housing. I don’t want to live with my sons. I could stay there, but I want to have my own space. I’ve got plenty of places I could lay my head, but I want a house or apartment, you know? I’m willing to work for it.
BL Shirelle: Good priorities. I love that.
If you’d like to shoot Ms. Dannielle some coin, her cash app is $DannielleHadley.
You can also follow her on IG! @hadleydannielle
As always, we can be reached at info at freerrecords dot com.