Michigan prison heat, wildfire smoke conditions expose need for long-term HVAC fixes

Poor air quality is back, putting some of our most vulnerable populations at risk. This includes people serving time at Michigan prisons.

The Michigan Department of Corrections said they're limiting outdoor activities across all prisons due to heat and wildfire smoke, while telling staff to specifically check for symptoms of heat and smoke-related illnesses among those incarcerated.

They told us air conditioning is working in all but three of their 24 housing units at the Huron Valley Correctional Facility, so they've brought in extra water and fans to help people living in those units deal with the heat.

However, an advocate tells us that the solution isn't enough for some of the women serving time there.

"One mother specifically, her daughter has been complaining about the heat. She felt like she was going to pass out. She was told to go drink some water and to just cool off in her room that has no air in it. Her window does not open," said Survivor's Speak founder Trische Duckworth.

We spoke with a state representative who said the combination of high temperatures and wildfire smoke presents its own unique challenges.

"The heat makes it in some cases unbearable inside, particularly for units without air conditioning, but the wildfire smoke also presents an issue for getting folks outside," said District 17 State Representative Laurie Pohutsky (D).

Rep. Pohutsky says these weather conditions expose the need for long-term solutions at MDOC facilities going forward.

"We're going to see these temperatures to continue to be this high as years go on, so I think investing in proper HVAC systems, air conditioning, is going to be critical," she said.

That's also why she says she's advocated for a more flexible MDOC budget.

"Making sure that the budgets are sufficiently funded, but also flexible enough so that what needs to be funded is in fact funded in these line items," she said.

Of the four women incarcerated at WHV who died in the past two and a half months, autopsies revealed Khaira Howard died of a blood clot in her lungs and Ashley Hoath died of a self-inflicted aspirin overdose. Two other autopsies are still pending.