Prisoner Rights

• Before Miller Canfield's involvement, Jewish women at Michigan's only female correctional facility were denied proper religious services. Women faced rampant cancellation of Jewish services; religious supplies were inadequate; and women were denied Passover Seder meals, while the male prisoners were not. In an egregious example, rather than provide a Passover Seder meal, the female prison showed pictures of Passover foods while a prison official tried to convert the women to Christianity. Our team was appointed just a few months before trial to represent a Jewish prisoner seeking the right to practice her faith. Three days into the trial, due to the strength of the case and the client's moving testimony, defendants agreed to a substantial monetary settlement and, significantly, injunctive relief, including a commitment to allow all female Jewish inmates the same religious rights as male Jewish inmates.

• The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that mandatory life without parole sentences for homicide offenses that they committed as juveniles violate the Eighth Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. In the wake of this ruling, the firm handled two pro bono matters involving the resentencing of individuals serving such sentences. When our attorneys first met these men, they were going to die in prison with no hope of release for acts that occurred when they were still children. After hundreds of hours of work by a talented team of attorneys and staff, both men are now free, with jobs, homes and close friends committed to their success.
• We led a team of attorneys to assist the Michigan Prison Doula Initiative (MPDI), which had taken shape as the brainchild of social justice activists and certified doulas who were shaken by the lack of access to care during pregnancy and childbirth experienced by incarcerated women. MDPI formed a grassroots collaboration among the only women's prison in Michigan and a local medical facility. It matches imprisoned pregnant women with a doula, who provides delivery and pre- and post-partum support. Without MPDI, pregnant incarcerated women would largely face the birthing experience alone. Miller Canfield originally had been asked only to review the agreements between the organization, the health system and the Michigan Department of Corrections. But our team has since assisted MPDI with corporate governance, board leadership and risk mitigation, and other counsel to the fledgling organization to help these mothers and infants.