A rare glimpse behind Michigan’s prison walls

A newly released Detroit Free Press video shows Michigan prison staff in riot gear twice spraying chemical agents on award-winning writer Demetrius Buckley—while he was handcuffed and confined inside a shower cage.

The disturbing footage, now part of a federal civil rights lawsuit, was made public only after years of resistance from the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC), which routinely denies Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for prison video, citing security concerns.

Buckley, who has published widely about prison life and the human cost of incarceration, alleges that staff retaliated against him for writing about conditions at Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids, accuses MDOC officials of retaliation and excessive force—including placing him in harm’s way and later deploying chemical spray while he was restrained.

This video underscores what advocates, families, and people inside Michigan prisons have said for years: transparency is the exception, not the rule. Violence behind prison walls goes unseen, unreported, and unpunished.

At VAAC, we believe that access to information is central to accountability. Stories like Buckley’s reveal why Michigan must ensure independent oversight, open records, and human rights protections for all people in state custody.