Mich. approves $10M for prison railings following several inmate deaths

Since 2020, five prisoners have died after falling or jumping from upper galleries at Egeler and Parnall

November 30, 2025 06:00 AM

A sign at the Parnall Correctional Facility near Jackson on Tuesday, April 14, 2020.

By Nathan Clark
mlive.com

JACKSON, Mich. — Two state prisons outside Jackson will soon have safety railings installed after multiple prisoners have died falling or jumping from an upper level of the facilities.

The House Appropriations Committee and the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the transfer of $26.1 million from the state’s general fund to the Michigan Department of Corrections on Nov. 12.

Of that total, $10 million is being used to pay for railings in housing units at the Charles E. Egeler and Parnall Correctional Facilities.

A representative for MDOC was not immediately available for comment.

“Railings are necessary for the safety and security of inmates and staff at the facilities,” according to the legislative transfer package report.

Since 2020, five prisoners at the facilities have died after falling or jumping from the upper gallery housing units on the fourth floor of the facilities.

The most recent fall was occurred on Oct. 22 at the Parnall Correctional Facility, 1780 E. Parnall Road, where a prisoner intentionally fell from an upper gallery.

The most recent death was Ervin Robinson II, 42, who died April 12 after he fell from a gallery at the Charles Egeler Reception and Guidance Center north of Jackson, according to the Department of Corrections.

In 2024, Michael Muldermans, 72, jumped and died shortly after arriving at the facility. Additionally, in 2020, Mark James Wilson, 59, lifted himself over a railing and jumped from a fourth-level gallery of the prison, dying by suicide, the Department of Corrections reported.

The remaining $16.1 million of the general fund transfer is being spent on prisoner healthcare costs, prisoner transport costs and relocation costs for staff who moved to the Macomb and Woodland correctional facilities following the closure of the Detroit Detention Center in July.

Due to the number of vacant civil service nursing positions, MDOC has been forced to utilize contract registered nurses and licensed practical nurses to meet prisoner healthcare needs, according to the Department of Corrections.

Contracted nurses are anywhere between 20% and 30% more expensive than civil service nurses, leading to a spending gap in MDOC’s budget, records show.

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