WASHTENAW COUNTY, Mich. – A lawsuit was filed, alleging that the Michigan Department of Corrections instructed guards to use body cameras during routine strip searches at the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Washtenaw County.
The $500 million lawsuit filed against the Michigan Department of Corrections, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, MDOC Director Heidi Washington, Deputy Director Jeremy Bush, Warden Jeremy Howard, Assistant Deputy Warden Steve Horton, and numerous other officials, states that women at the state’s only women’s prisons were subjected to lewd comments and behavior from corrections officers during strip searches, especially since the implementation of body-worn cameras.
20 women were listed as plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Flood Law, the law firm that filed the lawsuit on behalf of the inmates, said they represent a fraction of the 500 women who experienced similar violations and will be joining the lawsuit.
According to Flood Law, Michigan is the only state in the country to have a policy to record women during strip searches.
The lawsuit alleges multiple violations, including invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, sex-based discrimination under Michigan’s Elliot-Larson Civil Rights Act, and violations of Michigan constitutional rights.
Beginning in January 2025, MDOC forced hundreds of women, the vast majority of whom are rape survivors, to submit to illegal video recording while completely nude during strip searches.
Although MDOC officially amended its policy to prohibit recording during strip searches in March 2025, corrections officers reportedly continued to record women in showers, bathrooms and other situations that involve the women becoming undressed.
“What these women continue to endure is nothing short of horrific. This case exposes a grotesque abuse of power that directly retraumatizes survivors of sexual assault,” said Todd Flood, managing partner of Flood Law. “Despite multiple warnings about the policy’s illegality from advocacy organizations and state legislators, MDOC officials have failed to fully halt these privacy violations.”
The lawsuit claims that many of the women who came forward experienced severe physical manifestations of psychological distress, including debilitating panic attacks, insomnia, gastrointestinal distress and exacerbation of pre-existing conditions.
319 women at the prison completed a comprehensive questionnaire about their experiences. Here were the results:
- 81% of respondents reported histories of sexual assault and/or abuse either before or during incarceration
- 82.6% have experienced mental abuse in relationships and 78.5% have experienced physical abuse
- 82.2% of women reported that prison staff treat them in ways that remind them of past abusive relationships
- 83% reported being recorded during strip searches with body cameras
- 30.2% were recorded while showering and 38.3% while using the toilet
- 92.9% reported feeling “more exposed and uncomfortable” due to body cameras
- 78.6% stated that the prison is designed for men and does not consider what women need for rehabilitation
Using body-worn camera during strip searches
In January 2025, Michigan correctional guards were instructed to wear body-worn cameras at the correctional facility, including strip searches.
The lawsuit states that although MDOC officials said the cameras were in “passive recording mode,” they still capture real-time images and videos.
Bush confirmed the policy, saying the cameras remained passive recording mode during strip searches and the footage could be saved or reviewed in limited scenarios. He stated the practice was lawful.
In March 2025, MDOC amended the policy to require body-worn cameras to be placed in “sleep mode” during routine strip searches. This means no data, audio or video would be captured.
According to the lawsuit, corrections officers at various men’s facilities refused to wear cameras during strip searches even though it was policy.
The lawsuit described routine strip searches as “dehumanizing,” making it even more invasive for guards to wear cameras during the search.
“Many women in the prison population have been victims of sexual abuse, so it was very concerning that they were being asked to expose themselves in such a manner whenever they had a visitor,” said ACLU.
Following the implementation of body-worn cameras in 2025, the lawsuit claimed officers began conducting strip searches in “the most invasive manner possible,” claiming they need to perform searches “by the book” now that they were being recorded.
Officers reportedly began spending more time on each search to thoroughly examine every possible location where contraband might be concealed.
Some women reported dissociating during these procedures as a defense mechanism. If they were questioned, officers allegedly blamed the women themselves for the use of body cameras and conducted strip searches as “payback.”
Plaintiff allegations
One inmate, a 33-year-old woman who has been incarcerated since 2013, said she’s required to be strip searched before seeing her child for visitation, making her experience about 100 searches during her time at the facility.
She claimed searches have been more invasive since the implementation of the cameras in January 2025. She said the recent strip searches have been triggering her memories of past abuse.
She said it felt as though there was “an audience watching everything over the camera” when she was being thoroughly searched, as the camera could be seen recording with the green light lit.
She said one officer conducted a strip search followed by a body scan and mouthed “this is dumb” during the procedure. She then understood that the officer expressed frustration with the “excessive” security measures that require a strip search and body scan.
Another plaintiff in the lawsuit, a 32-year-old woman who has been incarcerated since 2013, said she asked her father to contact media outlets about the more frequent and longer strip searches since the body-worn cameras were implemented. Shortly after, she said a corrections officer conducted a “shakedown” of her cell. She believed this was a form of punishment.
According to the lawsuit, the 32-year-old woman completed the Beyond Violence Program, staff described her as “pleasant in group” and “helpful with others who shared.”
With her extensive history of sexual abuse, the recent prolonged strip searches became traumatizing for her, and she felt a profound betrayal of trust that undermined years of rehabilitation work.
Other inmates stated in the lawsuit that corrections officers reportedly told them things such as, “I didn’t lose my right to my body, you did,” “Have you seen some of y’all? No one is going back to stare,” and “What are you crying about?” while conducting strip searches.
MDOC response
Local 4 reached out to the Michigan Department of Corrections about the lawsuit but did not hear back.