YPSILANTI, Mich. (WOWO) — A former inmate at Michigan’s only state prison for women is suing the Michigan Department of Corrections, alleging corrections officers were present and recording with body-worn cameras while she gave birth at an Ann Arbor hospital. Natalie Forrest filed the federal la wsuit October 8 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan over the March 6, 2025, delivery of her son at Trinity Health Ann Arbor Hospital. Forrest and her attorneys allege male corrections officers remained in the delivery room with active body cameras, despite a warning weeks earlier that the practice could be illegal. The Michigan Department of Corrections disputes her account, saying only a female corrections officer was in the room during delivery and that no video of the birth was created or retained. The conflicting accounts are central to the lawsuit, which raises questions about Forrest’s privacy during childbirth, the use of body-worn cameras in a hospital delivery room and whether prison officials acted on an alleged warning before the birth. Forrest was incarcerated at the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility when she went to the hospital. She told News 10 that she knew corrections officers would be present but did not understand that their cameras might continue recording throughout labor and delivery. “I didn’t necessarily know that they would keep the cameras, you know, recording the whole time that I was giving birth,” Forrest said. “But I knew that the officers would be in the room. I did know that.” Forrest said the officers’ presence made an already personal experience uncomfortable and affected her ability to communicate freely with her mother. “There’s no way that I could have even been able to be comfortable or, you know, share that special moment with my son, or even with my mom, like with them being in there,” she said. Her attorney, Todd Flood, is questioning who authorized the officers’ presence and what prison officials knew before the delivery. “Who was the decision maker to put these males in this room? And who knew what and when and what did they do about it?” Flood said in an interview with News 10. Flood said his understanding is that a written warning was issued 17 days before Forrest gave birth, raising concerns about whether the arrangement should have been allowed. “There were statements that have been made from which we understand 17 days prior to this happening that this should not have happened, that this shouldn’t have been in place,” Flood said. The Department of Corrections did not directly address the alleged advance warning in its statement to News 10. Instead, the department disputed the allegations about who was present and whether any video existed. “Access to data captured with body-worn camera technology is highly restricted, and video is only created when a qualifying event has occurred, such as an assault or smuggling attempt,” the department said. The department explained that data is not converted into a viewable format when no qualifying incident occurs and is automatically deleted after approximately 18 hours. “In this case, only a female corrections officer was in the room during the delivery. Any body-worn cameras remained in passive mode during labor and delivery. No video was subsequently created from data captured, which no longer exists,” the statement said. The department’s response also emphasized its commitment to protecting the privacy and dignity of people in its custody, saying body-worn cameras are intended to improve safety and accountability for both officers and incarcerated individuals. However, the statement did not address other allegations raised in the lawsuit, including claims involving a threat made to Forrest’s mother and the handling of Forrest’s internal grievance. Flood questioned why corrections officers would need to remain in the delivery room under the circumstances, arguing that childbirth did not present a threat that would justify their presence. “Every commonsense person would say, that’s wrong,” Flood said. “There’s no way that she could have any type of threat to the safety of herself or others in that room while she’s giving birth and you would stay out.” Forrest, who has since been released from custody, said the experience continues to affect her mental health. “My mental health is not great. I’ve struggled a lot since I’ve been released,” she told News 10. Her attorneys say the lawsuit has been served on the named officers and officials, who will have an opportunity to respond through the court process. The case is expected to proceed through scheduling and discovery as the parties develop evidence and address the competing accounts of what happened. The lawsuit comes amid broader scrutiny of conditions at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility, the state’s only prison for women. State and federal officials have called for further investigation following reports of inmate deaths and concerns about unsafe conditions over the past year. Forrest’s case will now test her allegations against the department’s denial, with questions remaining about the officers’ presence, the status of their cameras and whether prison officials received and acted on a warning before the delivery. The post Former Michigan Inmate Sues Corrections Department, Says Officers Recorded Her Giving Birth appeared first on WOWO News/Talk 92.3 FM and 1190 AM. ...read more read less