Where to Find Michigan Inmate Records

Michigan inmate records are official documents that contain the information of offenders incarcerated in correctional institutions located in Michigan State. Such records contain personal details used to identify inmates, information on the offense committed, and other details such as booking date and release date.

The Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) handles the operation of correctional facilities within the state. Individuals sentenced to a jail term by the Michigan judiciary are incarcerated in the state prison facilities. Hence, the MDOC is also responsible for managing inmate records within the state. The Sheriff Department also manages records of individuals held at a county jail facility within its jurisdiction.

Are Incarceration Records Public Information in Michigan?

Under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act, records maintained by public agencies, such as incarceration records, are accessible to eligible persons. The Michigan FOIA ensures that interested individuals can copy and inspect inmate records. However, exempted records under the FOIA are confidential information and are therefore unavailable for public view.

Records that are considered public may be accessible from some third-party websites. These websites often make searching simpler, as they are not limited by geographic location, and search engines on these sites may help when starting a search for a specific or multiple records. To begin using such a search engine on a third-party or government website, interested parties usually must provide:

• The name of the person involved in the record, unless said person is a juvenile
• The location or assumed location of the record or person involved. This includes information such as the city, county, or state that person resides in or was accused in.

Third-party sites are independent from government sources, and are not sponsored by these government agencies. Because of this, record availability on third-party sites may vary.

What Information is Contained in a Michigan Inmate Record?

Michigan Inmate Record usually contains the following information:

• Offender number
• Names and aliases
• Date of birth
• Gender
• Race
• Mcl number
• The location that the offender is currently supervised
• Status of an offender if they are an active prisoner, parolee, probationer, escapee, or absconder.
• Parole board jurisdiction date
• Maximum date of release
• Date paroled

Where do I Look Up an Inmate in Michigan?

Persons interested in finding inmate information in Michigan can use the following resources:

• MDOC website: Querying parties can look up information on offenders held at the state correctional facilities through the inmate locator tool available on the Michigan Department of Corrections website. The Offender Tracking Information System (OTIS) is a search tool that individuals can use to look up incarcerated offenders held in state prisons.
• The Sheriff’s office/Police departments: Requestors can get the incarceration records of offenders held at the county and city jails at the office of the county/city law enforcement agency. The agency may also provide other platforms that the public may access.
• Third-party websites: Some non-government websites provide access to inmate information that interested persons can obtain.
• County websites: Each county manages a database of both active and released offenders held in its jail facility. Hence, querying parties may visit the county’s website to access the inmate information available.

How Do I Conduct an Inmate Search in Michigan?

Interested persons can search for offenders held at a state correctional facility by using the Offender Tracking Information System (OTIS). Users are required to fill the query boxes with the details of the inmate to retrieve results. However, the Michigan Legislature legalized removing the offender’s information from the OTIS database after three years from their discharge date.

Querying parties can also visit the websites of Michigan counties to access dedicated pages to their jail department or the Sheriff’s office and check for the available methods provided to obtain inmate information. Typically, some county websites may provide an inmate locator tool or a document containing the register of individuals currently held in its jail facility.

To conduct searches on online sources such as the OTIS or third-party websites, interested persons must provide some details of the offender in the appropriate search boxes to produce results. Such information includes the names of the offender, MDOC number, gender, race, age, offender status, and other physical attributes.

Interested persons can get physical copies of inmate records by visiting the Sheriff’s office that maintains the information of offenders held in the county jail and requesting the desired records. Requestors can also send a written request to the Sheriff’s mailing address.

Persons looking to obtain physical copies of inmate records managed by the MDOC can send a written request to the agency’s mailing address:

FOIA Coordinator

Michigan Department of Corrections

206 E. Michigan Avenue

Grandview Plaza

P. O. Box 30003

Lansing, MI 48909

How Can I Find an Inmate for Free in Michigan?

Typically, individuals can get free access to inmate information on online inmate locator tools such as the Offender Tracking Information System (OTIS). A county’s local law enforcement agency may also provide resources that interested persons may find an inmate held in its jail, at no cost. Such agencies include the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office that administers an inmate locator tool to find persons held in its correctional facility.

How to Find Old Inmate Records in Michigan

The Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) has been collating inmate data electronically since 1980. Then known as the Corrections Management Information System (CMIS), such old inmate records are not available online. While the CMIS database is not available remotely, it is available for public view via the Michigan Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Querying parties can contact the State of Michigan Archives via telephone at (517) 373–1408 or send an e-mail at archives@michigan.gov.

Requests for old inmate records through the FOIA should be sent to:

FOIA Coordinator

Michigan Department of Corrections

206 E. Michigan Avenue

Grandview Plaza

P. O. Box 30003

Lansing, MI 48909

How do I Find Inmate Death Records in Michigan?

Generally, records of deceased inmates that were held in a Michigan correctional facility are available on offender search tools. While it is possible to obtain such records on the Offender Tracking Information System (OTIS), users can access them on the platform for only three years from the date of death/discharge of the deceased offender.

How do I Conduct a Federal Prison Inmate Search?

To search for individuals held in federal prison, interested parties can use the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Inmate Locator tool. Users of the search tool can search with the inmate’s BOP register number or names, race, age, gender. Querying parties can also obtain copies of desired inmate records from the National Archives website.

How Long Does It Take for An Inmate’s Information to Be Published in Michigan Inmate Locator?

The MDOC primarily gets inmate information on the Michigan inmate locator from the state court records. Hence, records available on the inmate locator are usually published after the generation of the court records. However, the inmate locator does not contain arrested and convicted offenders that have not been sentenced by a Michigan court.