Michigan prisons leader defends oversight of women’s prison after 3 deaths

Michigan Department of Corrections Director Heidi Washington is defending prison conditions after U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell demanded intervention following three deaths of female inmates within one month at a state facility. In a written response to Dingell's inquiries, Washington asserted that her department leads nationally in corrections and that prisoner complaints are typical, while providing limited data on grievances and deaths. The department claims all three recent deaths are under investigation by independent internal affairs investigators, with no suspected foul play, though it declined to provide comprehensive death statistics over the past decade.