Lawmakers OK $10M to improve railing safety after 5 fatal prison falls

LANSING — Lawmakers on Nov. 12 approved $10 million to improve railing safety at two Jackson-area prisons where there have been five fatal inmate jumps or falls since 2020 .

Both the House Appropriations Committee and the Senate Appropriations Committee approved legislative transfers that include the money for safety improvements at Charles E. Egeler Reception and Guidance Center and Parnall Correctional Facility — prisons where since January 2020 five inmates have died by either jumping over railings or falling over or under railings to plunge three or four levels.