Mold, medical failures alleged at Michigan women’s prison

Michigan lawmakers scrutinize women’s prison conditions after inmate died of treatable infection
Critics linked mold, ventilation issues at the prison to inmate health problems
Past lawsuits underscore longstanding safety concerns at the facility

Months after a woman in state custody died from a treatable infection, Michigan lawmakers from both parties raised concerns over what they described as systemic failures at the Huron Valley Correctional Facility.

During a House Oversight Committee hearing on Tuesday morning, state Rep. Laurie Pohutsky, D-Livonia, said she saw black spots in the seams of the shower room when she visited the women’s correctional facility on Feb. 12.

When asked what those spots were, the warden told her it was black paint on clear grout — not mold — and offered to eat it in front of her to prove it was not toxic, Pohutsky told colleagues.

She alleged inmates at the Ypsilanti facility suffered from health issues directly stemming from unsafe living conditions, pointing to a recent report from the Michigan Department of Corrections documenting multiple air circulation devices in need of replacement.

The MDOC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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Laresha Thornton, a former teacher’s aide at the women’s prison, said in testimony that she had been diagnosed with a chronic inflammatory disease linked to conditions at the facility.

“I didn’t realize (that) the mold had affected me,” she told lawmakers. “I was hospitalized and told that my intestines were swollen because of the mold.”

Thornton said she had complained about the mold but was sent to another prison facility in Jackson. She only returned to Huron Valley Correctional Facility because there was a vacancy.

During her testimony, Pohutsky noted that an inmate named Krystal Clark had repeatedly raised concerns about mold at the facility beginning in 2016. In July 2023, she tested positive for multiple species of black mold.

The hearing came just months after 54-year-old Jennifer Jean Wallace died of sepsis from a Haemophilus infection while in MDOC custody. It was later revealed that Wallace received the wrong medication and her medical care was delayed.

Her family suspects that it was due to dental issues that went untreated despite several requests.

The Huron Valley Correctional Facility is the state’s only prison for women. As of January, about 1,800 women were held in the facility. A group of inmates sued the state last year over mold claims.

“Regardless of whether these individuals are incarcerated appropriately or not, they’re human beings,” House Oversight Committee Chair Jay DeBoyer, R-Clay, said Tuesday. “We’ve taken responsibility as the state … for these individuals and their well-being while they’re in our custody.”

In recent years, lawsuits and state reports have documented alleged sexual abuse, unsafe living conditions, invasive strip searches and failures in medical care at the correctional facility. In May, a group of 20 women filed a $500 million lawsuit against the state, alleging they were subject to strip searches that were recorded.

In 2019, MDOC agreed to a settlement of $860,000 over a wrongful death lawsuit after Janika Nicole Edmond died by suicide at the correctional facility in 2015. The lawsuit alleged that Edmond asked for a suicide prevention vest but officers ignored her and bet on whether Edmond would end her life.

The Michigan Department of Corrections budget is roughly $2.1 billion, which represents about 3% of the state’s budget for the 2026 fiscal year.

About $1.7 billion of that is allocated for prisoner operations, including prisoner custody, housing, food and behavioral programs. Roughly $77.7 million is for academic and vocational programs.