WASHTENAW COUNTY, Mich. – The warden of the state’s only women’s prison has gone on a temporary personal leave amid recent controversies over inmate deaths at the facility.
Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) spokesman Lucas Verran confirmed with Local 4 on Wednesday that Warden Jeremy Howard has gone on a temporary personal leave from the Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Pittsfield Township.
Recommended Videos
Warden Michelle Floyd from the Cooper Street Correctional Facility in Jackson will temporarily serve in his place, Verran said.
The news comes as the MDOC continues to investigate three inmate deaths that have occurred at Huron Valley since May 13, prompting concerns about the conditions at the prison and outrage from community members.
Read more: Protesters rally outside Huron Valley Prison women’s prison after third inmate death in a month
Ashley Hoath, 36, died June 6 at Trinity Health Hospital, several hours after being transferred via ambulance from Huron Valley.
According to the MDOC, medical staff determined Hoath was in need of hospital care after an officer noticed she was feeling unwell. MDOC says Hoath was responsive at the time of transfer. Officials were notified of her death several hours later.
A cause of death has not yet been determined.
The full investigation includes a mortality review, an autopsy conducted by an independent medical examiner, and an administrative review of procedural compliance.
Hoath, a Hillsdale County resident, was serving a 25- to 40-year sentence for second-degree murder after pleading guilty in 2017.
Her daughter, Anala, said her mother had no prior medical conditions and that fellow inmates tried to get her help before it was too late.
“Inmates reported that she was asking for aspirin and that she was in the bathroom for most of the day and that they tried asking the guards to get my mom medical attention, and they didn’t get my mom medical attention until she collapsed in that bathroom, and at that point she already went south,” Anala said.
Anala described her mother as someone who had turned her life around.
“She is not the evil person that people paint her to be,” she said. “Did she do some wrong things? Absolutely. But she was clean and off drugs; she was truly an amazing person. She has a heart of gold, and she was doing really well.”
A pattern of deaths, scrutiny
Hoath’s death follows those of Rebecca Fackler, 57, who died May 17, and Khaira Howard, 28, who died May 13. The two deaths came just days apart.
The prison was already under intense scrutiny before the latest death, facing allegations of toxic mold, leaking roofs, overcrowding, illicit drug use, poor ventilation, violence, and inadequate medical care. Multiple lawsuits and calls for investigations have mounted in recent months.
Trische Duckworth, a local activist with Survivors Speak who protests outside the prison weekly and communicates regularly with women inside, called the latest death preventable.
“This is medical neglect. Repeated medical neglect,” Duckworth said. “How many more women have to die before our woman governor and our women director of the Michigan Department of Corrections will do something? These are our siblings behind these walls, and they are dropping one by one. Somebody has to step in.”
--> ‘Am I next?’: Inmates, families, lawmakers sound alarm after 3 deaths at Huron Valley women’s prison
Lawmakers demand action
Pressure is growing at both the state and federal levels. U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell — who has been sounding the alarm about conditions at the prison since touring the facility in July 2023 — sent a letter to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Monday, calling for immediate attention and urgent action to address health and safety concerns at the facility.
“Concerns have been raised repeatedly by women in custody, their families, advocates, attorneys, medical professionals, and the public. Too many continue to report that the underlying problems remain unsolved,” she said. “It is essential that you give this issue your immediate attention and take urgent action to address the serious issues threatening the safety of these women under MDOC supervision.”
Thirty state lawmakers from both parties have also signed a letter calling for MDOC Director Heidi Washington to resign, citing what they describe as “a pattern of denial, dishonesty, obfuscation, and obstruction” under her leadership.
State Rep. Laurie Pohutsky (D-Livonia) was among those who signed the letter.
She said the problems at Huron Valley, including overcrowding, a shortage of corrections workers, and a lack of access to healthcare and mental health treatment, have been building for years.
She said removing the director, while necessary, is just the beginning.
“The director not being there is not the only change that’s necessary. I think it’s a good starting point, but there is going to have to be massive improvements to the department overall for these things to stop happening,” Pohutsky said.
The governor’s office directed all questions to MDOC.
MDOC response
Washington addressed the community directly in a statement following Hoath’s death:
“To the loved ones and friends who have to bear this incredibly difficult news, as well as those who are currently residing or have family members housed at WHV, I want you to know that we are working aggressively to investigate the circumstances that led up to Ms. Hoath being sent to the hospital,” Washington said.
Washington and healthcare leadership have been regularly on-site at the facility following the recent deaths.
The department says it is also in the process of hiring additional full-time medical staff at the facility.