Internal Assessment Contradicts Public Claims About Women’s Prisons
by Michael Thompson
Michigan’s only women’s prison “is infested with mold,” according to U.S. District Judge Stephen J. Murphy III. Three women incarcerated at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility, Hope Zentz, Paula Bailey, and Krystal Clark, are suing the Michigan Department of Corrections (DOC) over the conditions at the prison. Judge Murphy’s comment came as he introduced the background of the complaint.
According to the judge’s finding that allowed the suit to continue, “[The mold] leads to a parade of horrible medical conditions—respiratory infections, wheezing, skin rashes, etc.” Worse, DOC officials not only knew of the issues that also included a leaking roof and a filthy HVAC in serious disrepair, they took active measures to conceal the problems from inspectors.
The department has said there is little cause for concern, even as its own FY2025 Five-Year Assessment Plan identifies the chronic problems.
The Physical Plant Division, the group that prepared the assessment, highlighted the aging HVAC, moisture intrusion, failing ventilation, deteriorating building materials, and neglected mechanical systems. The five-year plan for the unit includes more than $12 million in proposed repairs. Nevertheless, as DOC downplayed the concerns of the unit’s residents as well as health and environmental experts, they instructed guards in the affected areas “to wear protective masks and gloves to minimize mold exposure.” More seasoned DOC guards would simply avoid working in the moldy buildings.
Prisoners at Huron Valley who had no access to paper towels or mops would often scrub their cells with menstrual pads. Judge Murphy also pointed out how one guard demanded the women scrape mold off tiles with their fingernails. Despite these cleaning efforts, the Detroit Metro Times reports that the prison’s underground tunnel system is a mold breeding ground. The 300,000 square foot area is rarely accessible for cleaning. Yet, its steam and condensate systems are deteriorating, making them a source of hidden moisture that allows warm, damp air into walls, ceilings, and mechanical chases.
For Krystal Clark, one of the litigants, the point is not merely academic. She already suffers from Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a heart condition that exacerbates mold sensitivity challenges. An allergy specialist found in 2022 that Clark has mold-related growths in her ears. Nevertheless, she has not been allowed to return to see the specialist.
Assistant Attorney General Joshua S. Smith has noted that for Clark to be allowed to see an outside specialist, she must first pay any associated travel and custody costs. That is a remarkably high bar for any incarcerated Michiganders who may make pennies per hour. According to Smith, Clark’s medical needs are being “adequately addressed” based on his conversations with DOC officials.
But that is not the image Clark sees when she looks into the mirror. She is partially paralyzed and unable to walk without assistance after years of exposure. In 2023, additional testing found her ears and lungs to be infected with the potentially life-threatening fungus Aspergillus.
Recently, she was denied a breathing treatment while struggling to breathe. She and her advocates are worried that her conviction may turn into a death sentence. Clark is now begging for compassionate release to deal with her medical needs. “They know my life is in jeopardy,” she says in a video. “They’ve known. And they’re still choosing to leave me here.”
Source: Detroit Metro Times
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