State legislators say MDOC Director Heidi Washington must go as deaths mount at Women’s Huron Valley and other facilities
Michigan Department of Corrections Director Heidi E. Washington is facing calls to resign after at least four incarcerated people died in state facilities within a single month, prompting a bipartisan letter from lawmakers and an emergency on-site response at the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Washtenaw County.
Washington and senior custody and medical staff have visited the facility to observe health care units and day-to-day operations, the MDOC said in a press release. The department says leadership has been speaking directly with incarcerated people and reviewing concerns — a response critics say is long overdue.
Four Deaths in Four Weeks
A letter dated May 21, 2026, led by state Rep. Laurie Pohutsky, names four people who died in MDOC custody and received public attention in the span of roughly a month:
Two of the four deaths occurred at Women’s Huron Valley within five days of each other, placing the state’s only women’s prison at the center of the crisis.
Lawmakers: Washington Must Resign
The letter, signed by multiple state lawmakers and members of Michigan’s congressional delegation, argues that “significant policy and culture change” is needed across the prison system — and that such change “cannot and will not occur” under Washington’s continued leadership.
The letter raises broader concerns about conditions throughout MDOC facilities, not only at Women’s Huron Valley. It represents a direct challenge to Washington’s tenure at the helm of a department responsible for tens of thousands of incarcerated people.
MDOC’s Response: New Staff, More Oversight
The department says it has brought in additional clinical leaders and is developing a new health care staffing plan that includes enhanced nursing management. Washington and the department’s medical director held a briefing with stakeholders and lawmakers on May 22 to answer questions and provide updates.
MDOC says further briefings will be held as new developments arise — a timeline that offers little comfort to advocates and legislators who say the department’s oversight failures have already cost lives.
A Pattern of Neglect Under Scrutiny
The deaths and the legislative response underscore longstanding concerns about healthcare standards in Michigan’s correctional facilities. Incarcerated people — particularly women — have historically faced significant barriers to adequate medical care, and deaths in custody often go without full public accountability.
Whether Washington will heed the resignation calls or whether the Whitmer administration will intervene remains to be seen. What is clear is that four people are dead, lawmakers are demanding answers, and the department’s assurances of corrective action have so far failed to satisfy those calling for structural change.