Two inmates died within days of each other at Michigan’s women’s prison, renewing concerns among attorneys and lawmakers about medical care and conditions at the Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Ypsilanti. The Michigan Department of Corrections confirmed that Khaira Howard, 28, died last Thursday, and that Rebecca Fackler, 57, died on Sunday, according to the state agency. Both deaths are under investigation, and the department said it does not suspect foul play.
A department spokesperson said staff conducted life-saving measures and also called emergency medical services when needed. Jenni Riehle said the department takes the safety and security of people in its custody seriously and that it has “comprehensive processes and medical protocols for health emergencies,” including assessment by qualified onsite staff and requests for outside emergency medical services if needed.
Howard’s attorney, David Champine, said the deaths “did not occur in isolation,” pointing to what he described as longstanding problems across the Michigan Department of Corrections system. Champine said reports submitted to the Legislature show vacant health-care positions in Michigan prisons, which he characterized as creating a “clear deficit in healthcare within the MDOC system.” He also said his firm, representing more than 900 women in civil rights litigation, received reports involving Fackler’s recent medical treatment and access to care.
Champine said Howard had been in a medical observation cell. He also said Howard had been eligible for parole beginning March 5, but the department failed to enroll her in programming required for release, delaying parole. Champine said Howard’s parole was rescheduled to the week of May 25.
The attorney said his firm received reports that Fackler had surgery and sought medical care recently, but corrections staff prohibited her from going to a health care unit. Champine framed the allegations as part of a broader pattern, saying “These women deserved better. Their families deserve answers.”
The department’s confirmation of how both deaths were handled came as lawmakers and advocates raised additional concerns about conditions at the Huron Valley facility. In recent months, state Rep. Laurie Pohutsky, D-Livonia, visited the prison in February and told the House Oversight Committee that she saw black spots in shower seams. Pohutsky said her office received a March letter from Howard alleging that she had to clean toxic mold at the facility without proper safety equipment, and she said her office receives letters from women each day after her testimony.
Pohutsky said the response to the two deaths reflects “a broader issue within the department and within the corrections facilities where the people who are incarcerated there are in the care of the state but they’re being disregarded.” She said the women are treated as if “they are less than humans” and that there is an assumption the public does not care, and she called for Michigan Department of Corrections Director Heidi Washington’s resignation, citing what she described as “cultural” and “systemic” issues.
Michigan lawmakers are also considering changes aimed at communication with families during medical emergencies. State Sen. Mary Cavanagh, D-Redford, introduced a bill requiring the department to provide people in custody with emergency contact information and medical release forms, which would help notify families in case of trouble. The bill is set to be taken up Thursday by the Senate Civil Rights, Judiciary and Public Safety Committee.
Beyond staffing and medical-care access, advocates have also pressed Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for clemency in a separate case involving mold exposure claims. Advocates and lawmakers urged clemency for Krystal Clark, arguing that she suffers from medical conditions tied to mold exposure, and photos shown during a February committee hearing depicted what supporters described as a fuzzy black substance coming from her ears. In a video played at a press conference in April, Clark said the substance appeared in connection with post-traumatic stress disorder.
The department has disputed claims about mold conditions. Riehle said an independent review found “expected results typically found in large settings where individuals live and work,” adding that claims suggesting “dangerous, systemic, black, or toxic mold conditions are simply false.”
The two deaths at the Huron Valley facility were also described as part of a continuing scrutiny of health care in custody. The AP report referenced a previous death at the facility in November, Jennifer Jean Wallace, 54, who died of sepsis from a bacterial infection while in custody, after a revelation that Wallace received the wrong medication and her medical care was delayed.
The department said it has processes for handling health emergencies, and it said the two recent deaths are under investigation with no suspected foul play. Cavanagh’s bill would require additional emergency contact and medical release forms for people in custody, while Pohutsky and other lawmakers continue to demand broader changes at the agency.