State Lawmakers and Advocates Press Michigan Governor on Medical Clemency Request for Krystal Clark

Lawmakers and advocates are urging Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to grant medical clemency to Krystal Clark, an inmate at the Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility who they say is suffering from severe health conditions tied to mold exposure inside the prison.

At a Friday morning press conference in Ypsilanti, speakers pointed to mounting allegations of hazardous conditions at Michigan's only women's prison, arguing that Clark's case reflects broader systemic failures in medical care and facility oversight within the state's corrections system.

Inmate Tests Positive for Mold-Linked Bacteria

Clark has been incarcerated at the Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility since 2011 and was sentenced to 17-30 years for armed robbery, assault with intent to do great bodily harm, 2nd-degree home invasion and other related charges. She will be eligible for parole after May 9, 2027.

Clark tested positive for several bacteria linked to black mold. Her medical record, obtained by Bridge Michigan from her spokesperson, indicates she tested positive for Aspergillus niger, a common black mold typically found in moist, damp areas, in July of 2023. She also tested positive for S. marcescens, Klebsiella, and Haemophilus, bacteria all linked to exposure to black mold.

She didn't receive treatment until August of 2025 and experienced gaps in treatment. She didn't receive full-dose therapy until November of 2025. She was ordered to see an infectious disease specialist on Jan. 19 but did not see one until February 17, a week before State Rep. Laurie Pohutsky testified before the House Oversight Committee.

State Representative Witnesses Black Growth

State Rep. Laurie Pohutsky, D-Livonia, visited Clark on Feb. 12 and testified before the House Oversight Committee later that month. She said she saw a black, fuzzy growth coming out of and around both of Clark's ears. She also said Clark has a white mass across her face and that her entire right arm, from the point where her sleeve ended, to the tips of her fingers, was incredibly swollen.

Clark said during a video played at the press conference:

They try to act like the back of my ears was growing something else … due to post-traumatic stress disorder. The mold in the facility is affecting me every day.

Clark says the health impact has been relentless. She stated during a video:

I know something is wrong with my body. I know something is wrong with my body. I'm tired. I'm tired of fighting. I'm tired of them getting away with this. I'm sitting here just suffering, suffering. In pain every day. Headaches every day. Body breaking out all over my body.

Widespread Mold Allegations at Facility

State Rep. Dylan Wegela, D-Garden City, said he also saw black spots in shower seams and in a recreation room at the facility when he visited on March 13. During the press conference, Wegela stated that every single person who was incarcerated at the facility that he spoke to talked about the mold issues.

Wegela said:

While I was at WHV, I was told repeatedly by leadership that they have never seen mold in this facility, a claim that was made despite the well-documented instances over the last several years, a claim that was made repeatedly, even while I was visiting, pointing out several locations where there was active growth occurring.

Former staff and inmates have also testified about conditions at the facility. Laresha Thornton, a former teacher's aide at the women's prison, said during a February House Oversight Committee hearing that she had been diagnosed with a chronic inflammatory disease linked to conditions at the facility. She told lawmakers:

I didn't realize that the mold had affected me. I was hospitalized and told that my intestines were swollen because of the mold.

MDOC Disputes Mold Claims

Michigan Department of Corrections spokesperson Jenni Riehle said the agency recently hired a third-party contractor to conduct additional environmental testing at Huron Valley Correctional Facility. She said the results aligned with typical findings for large, occupied facilities and disputed claims of widespread or hazardous mold conditions.

The department stated:

The department takes the health and safety of those currently under our supervision very seriously, and we remain committed to being a transparent partner. We appreciate our officers, healthcare employees, and all other hard-working MDOC staff for their dedication to our core missions of public safety and preparing people for success.

The department added:

As part of its commitment to maintaining safe facilities, the department completes routine inspections, maintenance, and cleaning throughout all its facilities. The Michigan Department of Corrections recently worked with a third-party contractor to complete additional proactive and comprehensive environmental testing at the Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility. Findings of these tests were consistent with expected results typically found in large settings where individuals live and work.

The department also stated it cannot comment on the health or medical treatment of specific incarcerated individuals due to health privacy laws.

Widespread Allegations of Unsafe Conditions

The Huron Valley Correctional Facility is the state's only prison for women. As of January, about 1,800 women were held in the facility. A group of inmates sued the state last year over mold claims.

Conditions at the facility have been under scrutiny after 54-year-old Jennifer Jean Wallace died of sepsis in November from a Haemophilus bacterial infection while in MDOC custody. It was later revealed that Wallace received the wrong medication and her medical care was delayed.

More broadly, advocates are calling for 800 women in the facility to be released over three years due to the conditions within the prison.

LaWanda Hollister, organizer of the American Friends Service Committee, wrote in an open letter to state leaders:

Until they make room for healing and start allowing women to be released while they are still able to give back to the community with their skills and talents instead of taking from the community through incarceration, the problems will remain. I know these women and they are rehabilitated and need the opportunity to come home and demonstrate their rehabilitation.

Governor's Response

A spokesperson for the Governor's office told Bridge Michigan the Governor's office could not provide a comment for the story because the parole board is currently reviewing Clark's case.

"While I was at WHV, I was told repeatedly by leadership that they have never seen mold in this facility," Wegela said during the press conference. "A claim that was made despite the well-documented instances over the last several years, a claim that was made repeatedly, even while I was visiting, pointing out several locations where there was active growth occurring."

Whitmer has the constitutional authority to grant clemency, including pardons and commutations. Clark's supporters claim she was wrongfully convicted.