Fourth Inmate Dies at Michigan's Only Women's Prison

Overview

• The Michigan Department of Corrections confirmed on July 2 that 62-year-old Dalephenia Jones died at Trinity Health Hospital after being taken from Women’s Huron Valley on June 19 for a cardiac event and remaining under hospital care for 14 days.
• MDOC said Jones had multiple documented chronic medical conditions and was on a chronic care plan, and the agency will investigate the events that preceded her being sent to the hospital and release results when those reviews are complete.
• This is the fourth death at the Huron Valley facility since May, following the deaths of Rebecca Fackler, Khiara Howard and Ashley Hoath, which prompted about three dozen current and former lawmakers to demand answers and leadership accountability.
• Longstanding complaints about the prison include staffing shortages, limited access to timely medical care and allegations of toxic black mold, and those issues have produced at least one federal lawsuit that remains in court.
• Families have retained private lawyers and members of Congress and state lawmakers have pressed the state for more information, increasing the likelihood of independent probes and closer scrutiny of MDOC health and facility practices.