LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — The Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility, Michigan’s only prison for women, is experiencing an unsettling rise in violence that has raised concerns about safety and management. Inmates and officers alike attribute the growing unrest to a severe staffing shortage and the facility’s failure to properly enforce security protocols, leading to an increasingly volatile environment, according to the Detroit Free Press.

The Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC), faced with a statewide staffing crisis, has seen many of its facilities, including Women’s Huron Valley, struggling to maintain order. Corrections officers are increasingly being required to work double shifts, and the prolonged shortage has pushed the remaining staff to the brink of exhaustion.

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The situation at Women’s Huron Valley, located near Ypsilanti, is particularly acute. Policies that generally prevent male officers from working in the housing units further limit the already strained workforce. According to Georgiann Stan, the union president at the facility, the persistent understaffing has created a dangerous environment for both inmates and officers. 

“We are exhausted. Us women there are so … burned out,” Stan told the Detroit Free Press.

Compounding the staffing issues is the prison’s apparent failure to enforce proper security classifications. Inmates who are classified as “Level IV,” meaning they require higher security and closer supervision, are increasingly being housed in units intended for “Level II” prisoners, who pose less of a management challenge. 

In fact, inmates have reported an escalation in fights, theft, and general disorder as a result of this practice. Sharee Miller, a Level II inmate, described a chaotic environment where possessions are stolen and living conditions have deteriorated. 

“They’re cutting our TV cords, they’re fighting us, they’re stealing all of our stuff, our units are getting locked down constantly,” Miller said. Officers on duty have confirmed these reports, noting that incidents of violence are occurring with alarming frequency.

The MDOC has acknowledged that a number of Level IV inmates have been moved into Level II units on waivers, but officials claim this is a long-standing practice. Inmates and officers warn that the expanded practice has heightened safety risks, yet despite these concerns, there are no plans to increase Level IV inmate capacity, leaving the issue unresolved.

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Another issue contributing to the unrest is the presence of inmates undergoing hormone treatment for gender dysphoria. The prison currently houses a number of inmates receiving testosterone, which some believe is contributing to increased aggression within the facility. 

“The ‘men’ have multiple girlfriends, which causes the fighting to increase,” Miller explained to the Detroit Free Press. “It feels like a coed prison,” and “their voices are so deep … we hear male voices all day long.”

Giovanni Russell, a recent parolee who received testosterone treatment while at Women’s Huron Valley, expressed concerns about the adequacy of mental health support and counseling for inmates undergoing hormone therapy.

“They don’t tell you what testosterone does to the body, they don’t tell you what testosterone does to the mental, you know what I’m saying?” Russell said. “They don’t give you none of that. It’s just, here, take the testosterone.”