How this headline may connect to industries in Michigan. Technical scores are below — click any ? for what a metric means.
Lawmakers, advocates call for transparency, leadership change following deaths at Huron Valley facility.Lawmakers, advocates call for transparency, leadership change following deaths at Huron Valley facility Three deaths have been reported at the prison since mid-May.LANSING, Mich.(News 10) - Advocates are demanding answers after a third confirmed inmate death at the Huron Valley Women’s Correctional Facility.State officials say 36-year-old Ashley Hoath, originally from Hillsdale County, died on Saturday morning.The Michigan Department of Corrections says Hoath was rushed to Trinity Health Ann Arbor Hospital before she died on June 6.Hoath is the third Huron Valley inmate to die in a matter of weeks.Recent deaths raise concerns Only a few weeks earlier on May 13, 28-year-old inmate Khaira Howard died at the same hospital.Fifty-seven-year-old inmate Rebecca Fackler died just days later on May 17.Causes of death in all three cases are still unknown.Lawmakers and prison reform advocates are reigniting a call for transparency and a change in department leadership.“We are often the first to hear, and we are walking alongside some of these families right now who are heartbroken and who are waiting for answers,” said local advocate Lois Pullano.Pullano has been trying to change the Michigan prison system for years as a mom who knows what it’s like to wonder about the wellbeing of a loved one living behind bars.“It’s a very walled-off, closed system that seems to have forgotten, human dignity of every single person matters,” Pullano said.After three inmate deaths in less than a month at the women’s prison in Ypsilanti, Pullano is calling on state lawmakers to give families the power to file formal complaints with the Michigan Department of Corrections and require monthly reporting of those complaints, which are currently restricted to inmates and legislators under Michigan law.“We believe there should be public reports broken down by every single facility and it needs to be broken down by the type of complaint,” Pullano said.Pullano’s group, Citizens for Prison Reform, is backing two bills to make those changes.Complaints about facility conditions The spotlight on the state Department of Corrections has grown brighter, amid back-to-back deaths at the Huron Valley Corrections Facility.Before those deaths, prisoners and advocates complained of poor conditions at the facility, including a mold issue.State Rep.Sarah Lightner (R-Springport) believes the issues with the department start at the top.She said the department is understaffed, underpaid and undervalued.She recently signed onto a letter demanding the resignation of Corrections Director Heidi Washington, alongside dozens of her colleagues in the Michigan Legislature.“You know, we talk about some of these complaints, and some of it, I feel like, maybe could be handled if there were adequate staffing,” Lightner told News 10.“It’s been for too many years.It’s been too long under too many administrations with Director Washington and it’s time for her to go,” she said.Federal lawmakers have gotten involved in the push for transparency following Hoath’s death.In a Facebook post on Sunday, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell said she’s issued a formal inquiry with the state, seeking “immediate answers, action, and transparency.” “The Michigan Department of Corrections must immediately provide a transparent accounting of what happened, where they failed, and what steps are being taken to prevent more deaths,” the Congresswoman wrote in her post.The Michigan Department of Corrections has not responded to requests for comment on calls for Director Washington’s resignation or additional information about Ashley Hoath’s death.The two House bills to change the complaint reporting system at the department have been referred to the Committee on Judiciary for further review.Pullano said the Citizens for Prison Reform is working on several reform efforts with state lawmakers.The organization is hosting a legislative education day on Tuesday, June 16th to bring their concerns directly to the legislature.The group will gather from 10 a.m.to 4 p.m.at the State Capitol.People interested in attending should register through the Citizens for Prison Reform website.Stream News 10 Lansing on your favorite devices!Here’s how to download the News 10+ app on Roku, Fire TV or Apple TV.Be the first to see the Mid-Michigan headlines you care about – download the News 10+ app and subscribe to our News 10 newsletter and YouTube page to receive the latest local news and weather.Copyright 2026 WILX.All rights reserved.