Latest news with #ToddFlood
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Yahoo
Lawsuit: Guards video-recorded strip searches at Michigan's women's prison
Women in Michigan's only prison for females were, per policy, video-recorded on corrections officers' body cameras while they were nude during routine strip searches and while showering and using toilets, according to a new lawsuit. Twenty Jane Does filed the civil lawsuit May 6 in Washtenaw County Circuit Court, with one of their attorneys, Todd Flood, telling the Free Press that he and his colleagues have more than 500 retained complainants in the case, with incidents occurring from January through March of this year. The lawsuit names the governor, the director and deputy director of the Michigan Department of Corrections, and about three dozen employees, from corrections officers to the warden, at the Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility. It seeks $500 million in damages. It indicates the MDOC implemented a body-worn camera policy in January that allowed staff to wear active cameras at the women's prison, including during strip searches. Officials characterized the cameras being in "passing recording mode," but they still captured real-time images and data, according to the lawsuit. "It's a clear violation of the law to videotape or take photographs of someone naked," Flood said, adding that while money was allotted for body cameras for prison guards "they did not allot money for video-cameras to commit illegal acts to videotape strip searches." Messages were left for MDOC spokespersons. In a news release, attorneys said MDOC officials failed to halt the privacy violations "despite multiple warnings about the policy's illegality from advocacy organizations and state legislators." Concerns started to be raised Feb. 17, with the lawsuit indicating "internal communications reveal that officials were fully aware of these legal concerns yet continued the practice for five more weeks." The lawsuit indicates the policy changed March 24, with body cameras to be placed in "sleep mode" during routine strip searches, meaning no data, audio or video would be captured. But Flood said there are incidents of recording when women are naked still occurring when corrections officers go into bathrooms or showers. "Even after the official policy change, corrections officers flagrantly continued to record women in states of undress, demonstrating the deeply entrenched culture of voyeurism and disregard for women's dignity," according to the lawsuit. Flood said the plaintiffs are looking for "no invasion of privacy when a lady goes to the bathroom or when they're in a shower stall." They also seek destruction of all recordings made during the illegal period and mandatory training for MDOC staff, according to the lawsuit. The prison, located near Ypsilanti, can house up to 2,006 women, according to the MDOC website. Flood said there are female and men corrections officers at the prison. Prior to the implementation of body-worn cameras this year, the lawsuit indicates, strip search policies at the prison varied depending on the individual officer. Since the cameras' introduction, it indicates, officers began uniformly conducting strip searches in the "most invasive manner possible, claiming they need to perform searches 'by the book' now that they were being recorded." Flood said of the more than 500 complainants, about 15 have been released from prison since his team's investigation began. He said also they received several phone calls from prison guards who did not believe this was something that should be done and they were being told to do it. According to the lawsuit, the MDOC forced "hundreds of women — the vast majority of whom are rape survivors — to submit to video recording while completely nude during strip searches, while showering, while using toilets, and in other states of undress. This conduct constitutes a felony under Michigan law (MCL750.539j) and represents a brazen and calculated violation of fundamental constitutional rights to privacy, bodily integrity, and human dignity." More: Detroit man says he needed mental health treatment as an inmate, but was punished instead It indicates the impact has been "devastating," with many plaintiffs experiencing debilitating panic attacks and insomnia among other physical ailments. Several have withdrawn from visiting with family, resigned from prison jobs and left educational programs. Attorneys for the plaintiffs sent a questionnaire, receiving responses from 319 women at the prison about their experiences, according to the lawsuit, with 83% reported being recorded during strip searches with body cameras. It indicates that 30% were recorded while showering and 38% while using the toilet. "Women described being forced to endure the profound violation and humiliation of having their exposed bodies recorded, leaving them feeling sexually exploited by the very institution charged with their care," according to the lawsuit. It indicates women were "forced to bend at the waist, spread their buttocks and expose their vaginal and anal cavities to live cameras worn by corrections officers." According to the lawsuit, the body camera policy was to be uniform across all MDOC facilities, but officers at men's facilities "frequently exercised discretion to refuse wearing cameras during strip searches. By contrast, officers at WHV strictly enforced the policy, creating a two-tiered system that disproportionately subjected women to recorded strip searches." It also indicates hundreds of women filed grievances challenging the policy, but officials failed to process the grievances, assign grievance numbers or provide appeal forms. The lawsuit detailed each plaintiffs' experiences as well as including emails about the policy and communications from advocates and legislators expressing concerns. Contact Christina Hall: chall@ Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @challreporter. Support local journalism. Subscribe to the Free Press. Submit a letter to the editor at This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lawsuit: Strip searches video-recorded at Michigan women's prison
CBS News
06-05-2025
- CBS News
$500 million lawsuit alleges Michigan prison guards illegally recorded strip searches at women's facility
A new lawsuit filed against the Michigan Department of Corrections alleges that the department instructed guards to use their body cameras to record strip searches at the Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Pittsfield Township, Michigan. The $500 million lawsuit, filed on behalf of 20 women, named the MDOC, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the correctional facility and several correctional officers. The Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility is the state's only women's prison. It alleges that between January 2025 and March 2025, roughly 500 women were illegally recorded naked during the searches, as well as while taking a shower and using the bathroom. Majority of the women, who are rape survivors, suffered psychological damage and humiliation from the alleged recordings, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit claims that MDOC officials were aware that they were violating Michigan law, which prohibits the recording or photographing of private parts. However, officials allegedly ignored warnings and allowed officers to record until they stopped on March 24. "What these women continue to endure is nothing short of horrific. This case exposes a grotesque abuse of power that directly retraumatizes survivors of sexual assault," attorney Todd Flood said in a statement. "Despite multiple warnings about the policy's illegality from advocacy organizations and state legislators, MDOC officials have failed to fully halt these privacy violations." CBS News Detroit has reached out to the governor's office and the Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility for comment. We are waiting to hear back. This comes as the department is facing another lawsuit involving former spokesperson Christopher Gautz. MDOC employee Lisa Gass alleges that Gautz sexually harassed her and coerced her into engaging in a sexual relationship to keep her job. That lawsuit alleges that Gautz claimed that he and Gass were in a consensual relationship, and she was harassing him. He resigned amid an investigation. Gautz's current employer, Byrum & Fisk Communications, confirmed that Gautz was placed on leave effective immediately and that the allegations against him were not disclosed to them.
The Intercept
06-05-2025
- Politics
- The Intercept
Michigan Prison Films Women in Showers — and Caught Guards Saying Lewd Things, Lawsuit Says
A $500 million lawsuit filed Monday in Washtenaw County Circuit Court is taking aim at the Michigan Department of Corrections, alleging that prison officials subjected hundreds of incarcerated women to illegal surveillance by recording them during strip searches, while showering, and even as they used the toilet. The suit describes the violations as a profound breach of privacy and basic human rights. At the heart of the case is a deeply controversial and, according to experts, unprecedented policy implemented at Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility, the only women's prison in Michigan. Under the Michigan Department of Corrections policy directive, prison guards were instructed to wear activated body cameras while conducting routine strip searches, capturing video of women in states of complete undress. The suit, brought by the firm Flood Law, alleges a range of abuses, including lewd comments from prison guards during recorded searches, and long-term psychological trauma inflicted on women, many of whom are survivors of sexual violence. 'What these women continue to endure is nothing short of horrific.' 'What these women continue to endure is nothing short of horrific. This case exposes a grotesque abuse of power that directly retraumatizes survivors of sexual assault,' Todd Flood said in a Tuesday press release ahead of announcing the suit. 'Despite multiple warnings about the policy's illegality from advocacy organizations and state legislatures, MDOC officials have failed to fully halt these privacy violations.' Attorneys for the 500 plaintiffs — 20 named women, with hundreds more expected to join — argued that this practice not only deprived women of their dignity, but also violated widely accepted detention standards. No other state in the country permits such recordings; many have explicit prohibitions against filming individuals during unclothed searches, recognizing the inherent risk of abuse and the acute vulnerability of the people being searched. Michigan, the attorneys said, stands alone. The plaintiffs are suing the Michigan Department of Corrections, Department of Corrections head Heidi Washington, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and more than a dozen other high-ranking officials. Neither the Department of Corrections nor Whitmer's office immediately responded to requests for comment. The lawsuit lays out a sweeping series of alleged legal violations, accusing state officials of crossing constitutional and moral lines. It claims the officials are ultimately responsible for a blatant invasion of privacy through the unauthorized recording of women in vulnerable states; the deliberate infliction of emotional trauma through policies that retraumatized sexual assault survivors; and systemic sex-based discrimination in violation of Michigan's Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act. The Elliott-Larsen law, which protects against sex-based discrimination, was meant to protect against precisely this kind of gendered abuse. The suit says the policy suggests that women in state custody are being surveilled in ways no male prisoner would be. The complaint also asserts that the policy and its continued enforcement stand in direct conflict with multiple protections enshrined in the Michigan Constitution, suggesting a failure at every level of oversight and accountability. According to the complaint, the body camera policy began in January 2025 and was only partially rolled back in March after public pressure. Although the Department of Corrections changed its policy to stop recording strip searches, the suit alleges that officers continue to film women in showers, bathrooms, and other private settings — actions that the complaint says amount to felonies under Michigan law. [/newsetter] The trauma has taken a measurable toll. Women have reported acute anxiety, disrupted sleep, digestive problems, and worsening of chronic health conditions. The psychological impact has led many to isolate themselves, quit their work assignments, and disengage from educational programs. One woman, who had served as a Prisoner Observation Aide for 11 years, resigned from the role due to repeated exposure to recorded searches. The plaintiffs are seeking not just financial damages, but also an injunction to halt any remaining recordings, destruction of existing footage, and mandatory staff training to prevent further abuse. 'This isn't just about privacy,' Flood said in the statement. 'It's about dignity, trauma, and the state's responsibility to uphold the basic rights of every person in its custody.'
