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Senate panel OKs $15M to fix Michigan prison railings after 5 fatal falls

Senate panel OKs $15M to fix Michigan prison railings after 5 fatal falls

Yahoo26-04-2025
LANSING — A Senate panel on April 24 recommended spending $15 million to improve the safety of railings at Michigan prisons, following a series of Free Press articles about five fatal plunges at two Jackson-area prisons.
The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Corrections and Judiciary, chaired by state Sen. Sue Shink, D-Northfield Township, included the plan in a nearly $2.3 billion proposed budget for the Michigan Department of Corrections, approved in a 3-1 party-line vote. The plan now moves to the full Senate Appropriations Committee as the next step in the protracted budget-setting process for the 2026 fiscal year.
The proposed expenditure was initially listed as $31 million in a Senate Fiscal Agency analysis of the budget bill, but that was an error and the correct figure is $15 million, agency director Kathryn Summers said.
In the latest in a series of articles, the Free Press reported April 16 that 42-year-old Ervin Robinson II died April 12 after falling from an upper gallery at the Charles Egeler Reception & Guidance Center near Jackson.
The Department of Corrections described Robinson's fall as accidental, but the Free Press has documented four other fatal falls from the fourth levels at Egeler and nearby Parnall Correctional Facility since 2020. The department listed all four of those deaths as suicides.
Sherry Gay-Dagnogo, a Democratic activist, former state lawmaker, and current Detroit school board member, said she lobbied lawmakers and community justice groups to take action after reading the most recent Free Press article and said April 25 she is pleased by the legislative action.
"It's heartening to see that Sen. Shink has prioritized righting this terrible atrocity that has persisted for far too long," Gay-Dagnogo said.
"This is the type of decisive action needed to ensure that no one else loses their loved ones due to years of state neglect."
Egeler and Parnall each have a similar tiered structure with four levels of cells that are accessed by walkways protected by railings that are 38 inches high, which is lower than Michigan workplace safety standards, according to state records obtained under Michigan's Freedom of Information Act.
In August 2023, a prison employee complained to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's office that gallery railings at the two prisons were too low, putting workers at risk of falling or being pushed to their deaths, records the Free Press obtained under FOIA show.
Whitmer's office referred the complaint, which also cited concerns about prisoner safety, to the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration. But nothing changed.
"No hazard exists," a Michigan Department of Corrections official said in a Sept. 20, 2023, letter to a manager at MIOSHA. The agency closed its investigation less than three weeks later, without physically inspecting the two prisons, despite concerns raised by one MIOSHA official that improvements were needed, records show.
Since then, three men have died by jumping or falling over or under the railings.
Michael Snyder, the father of 37-year-old Wesley Snyder, who died in what was ruled a suicide after jumping from the fourth level at Parnall in December, told the Free Press the state has been negligent.
"If they have one death — let alone four or five, it just doesn't make sense they wouldn't have done something," Snyder said in December.
Shink said details are still being finalized but she wants to make prison as safe as possible for both prisoners and employees and she feels that addressing the railing safety issue is a priority.
Byron Osborn, president of the Michigan Corrections Organization union representing corrections officers, said ahead of the subcommittee vote that many officers feel at risk walking on the narrow gangplanks outside prisoner cells, protected only by a low railing from a steep fall to concrete below.
One time, a prisoner dropped a heavy duffel bag full of his property from an upper gallery and it thudded to the ground just a few feet from where an officer was standing, Osborn said. There's always a risk of an officer falling or being pushed over the railing while breaking up a fight, he said.
The risk exists not only at Egeler and Parnall, which each have four gallery levels, but at Marquette Branch Prison, which has three, Osborn said.
"We would certainly support having some kind of additional barrier," Osborn said. "There's some danger there."
MDOC Director Heidi Washington, through her spokeswoman Jenni Riehle, has repeatedly refused to comment on what, if anything, the department plans to do to address the hazard.
Riehle confirmed April 18 that there was another incident at Egeler this month in which a prisoner suffered a broken leg after falling from the first-floor gallery, following an altercation with two other prisoners.
As long ago as 2012, a Michigan prisoner was charged with attempted murder for allegedly trying to push two corrections officers over an upper railing, Michigan Court of Appeals records show. The prisoner was acquitted on those charges but convicted on lesser assault charges, records show.
Gay-Dagnogo said she still wants a state investigation into how the situation has been able to persist as long as it has.
This story and headlines have been updated to add more information and to reflect a correction to a Senate Fiscal Agency analysis.
Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: After 5 fatal falls, Senate panel wants $15M fix for prison railings
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Playbook PM: A spiraling crisis in Gaza
Playbook PM: A spiraling crisis in Gaza

Politico

time10 minutes ago

  • Politico

Playbook PM: A spiraling crisis in Gaza

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Leaving the Dogs, Leaving the Cats: The Pets Detained Migrants Can't Take
Leaving the Dogs, Leaving the Cats: The Pets Detained Migrants Can't Take

Newsweek

time10 minutes ago

  • Newsweek

Leaving the Dogs, Leaving the Cats: The Pets Detained Migrants Can't Take

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Los Angeles animal shelters have reported an uptick in new arrivals, while locals are taking matters into their own hands after thousands of immigrants have been swept up in the Trump administration's raids across the city. The Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control (DACC) told Newsweek that its shelters had taken in 19 pets from families caught up in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) efforts since June 10. "We understand that surrendering a pet can be an incredibly emotional decision, and we are here to assist anyone who finds themselves in need of help at any of the County's seven animal care centers," Christopher A Valles, animal control manager with DACC, told Newsweek via email. Gods left behind by their immigrant families following ICE raids in Los Angeles, California. Gods left behind by their immigrant families following ICE raids in Los Angeles, California. Matthew Rudolph L.A. has been a focal point for federal agencies cracking down on illegal immigration in recent weeks, sparking protests and pushback from the city's largely Democratic leaders, who have warned that communities will be devastated by the loss of illegal immigrants who have built lives in southern California. While the administration's hard-line immigration efforts had been broadly popular at the start of Trump's second term, public opinion has fallen sharply this summer, as images of masked ICE agents detaining people at court hearings, at work, church, school, in traffic and elsewhere have rocketed across the media. A Gallup poll this month showed support for reducing immigration levels dropped from 55 percent last year to 30 percent, with 79 percent of Americans now viewing immigration as a positive force for the country. As ICE raids took place across L.A., mirroring similar enforcement actions seen across the country in recent months, immigrants facing detention and deportation have been forced in some cases to give up a beloved member of their family — their pets. L.A. County DACC, which operates seven animal care centers, has taken in four cats and 15 dogs as families either self-deported or were swept up by federal agents. The agency's data gives a snapshot into a growing concern in places where people are being arrested off the street, detained indefinitely or immediately deported. Animals cannot go where their arrested or deported owners have gone, leaving them in need of a new home. 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Photos depict people taken by ICE during a protest art installation outside a federal building on July 17, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. Photos depict people taken by ICE during a protest art installation outside a federal building on July 17, 2025 in Los Angeles, acknowledged the sensitivity of his role, saying that as a white man, he is aware of how his presence may be perceived when approaching immigrant families in vulnerable situations. He expressed concern that his efforts to help could be misinterpreted, especially when it involves the potential consequences of deportation. Rudolph voiced frustration over what he sees as the dehumanization of immigrants by the Trump administration. "Cruelty is the point," Rudolph said, adding that the political climate has left little room for compassion from the government, particularly when it comes to migrant families affected by the sweeping immigration raids. Rudolph explained that even attempting to reunite a pet with an owner deported across the border to Mexico is an expensive and laborious process. It involves navigating both U.S. and Mexican customs regulations, along with meeting various travel and health documentation requirements, costing thousands of dollars in some cases. "In terms of re-homing, we've discussed it, we've thought it through but we can't—that's such a luxury. We'd love to be able to have fundraisers for that," Rudolph said. While the fate of their owners may remain unknown, some pets have already found new homes, Valles said. "We are pleased to report that during this time, eight of the dogs have already found permanent homes, highlighting the community's willingness to support these animals in need," Valles said. "DACC will continue to provide resources and care for pets affected by these circumstances, ensuring they receive the love and attention they deserve while we work to find them new families." As so-called "sanctuary cities" like L.A. have seen the most ICE enforcement operations, communities are forming rapid response networks to help those vulnerable. "I've never been more proud of Los Angeles in my entire life," Rudolph said.

Newsom fears backdoor ban on AI rules
Newsom fears backdoor ban on AI rules

Politico

time10 minutes ago

  • Politico

Newsom fears backdoor ban on AI rules

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