The Michigan State Prison System

The Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) handles the day-to-day management of the prison systems in the state of Michigan. The Correctional Facilities Administration unit has direct oversight of the management of the facilities. Michigan state prisons house inmates that receive sentences from Michigan State Courts. The prison system provides a platform to execute the penalty system of incarceration and implement a reformatory process for those serving time.

What is the Difference Between Jail and Prison in Michigan?

County governments run jail operations in the state while the Department of Corrections in Michigan runs the State Prison systems. Persons convicted for misdemeanor offences or some lower felony classes with penalties that are less than one year serve time in county jails in Michigan. Longer sentences than a year and for serious felonies get placements in the prison facility. Additionally, jails in Michigan have a blanket structure for housing inmates awaiting trial or conviction, while the Michigan state prison system has an inner stratification of low, medium, and high security prison facilities to accommodate the different categories of prisoners brought to the facility. Note that inmates in Michigan state prisons are convicts of a felony, that is to say, they were found guilty according to the criminal code of the state regarding the definition of felonies.

How Many Prisons are in Michigan?

There are altogether 33 correction facilities in Michigan, each of them falling under one of the five levels of security in the system. The lowest security prison has the rating level I, and the highest is level V:

• Alger Correctional Facility
• Baraga Correctional Facility
• Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility
• Boyer Road Correctional Facility (merged with Carson City)
• Carson City Correctional Facility
• Central Michigan Correctional Facility
• Charles Egeler Reception & Guidance Center
• Chippewa Correctional Facility
• Cooper Street Correctional Facility (JCS) with Special Alternative Incarceration
• Detroit Detention Center
• Earnest C. Brooks Correctional Facility
• G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility
• Gus Harrison Correctional Facility
• Ionia Correctional Facility
• Kinross Correctional Facility
• Lakeland Correctional Facility
• Macomb Correctional Facility
• Marquette Branch Prison
• Michigan Reformatory
• Central Michigan Correctional Facility
• Muskegon Correctional Facility
• Newberry Correctional Facility
• Oaks Correctional Facility
• Parnall Correctional Facility
• Parr Highway Correctional Facility (consolidated with Gus Harrison)
• Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility
• Saginaw Correctional Facility
• Special Alternative Incarceration Facility (merged with Cooper Street Correctional Facility)
• St. Louis Correctional Facility
• Straits Correctional Facility (merged) with Chippewa
• Thumb Correctional Facility
• Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility
• Woodland Center Correctional Facility

How do I search for an Inmate in Michigan State Prison?

Michigan Department of Corrections uses an Offender Tracking Information System that provides information about prisoners, parolees and probationers under current supervision. Any individual that has vacated the status since 3 years and above does not have information on the tracking system. It requires the following information to conduct a search on the portal:

• First and last names of inmate
• Inmate registration number (Michigan department of corrections ID -MDOC)
• The sex of the inmate
• Race
• Age
• Descriptive factors like scars, tattoos, etc
• Offender status (active, on parole or probation).

If the inquirer does not have any of this information, contact the defending attorney on the case.

The search will return a page that lists all inmates with matching information. Use the MDOC number to search for more information.

The Search should return a page that lists all inmates with matching information. Use the MDOC number to search for more information such as facility location karma basic incarceration profile supervising agency and relevant date (date of parole and maximum sentence dates)

The following information is not available on OTIS:

• Information about the county jail inmates column refers to the county jail authority for that information.
• Information about persons arrested and convicted but yet to receive a sentence
• Information that is exempt under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act.
• Photographs of offenders that have exited the system before electronic photographs came into use, or persons yet to have their mugshot photographs taken.

Are Incarceration Records Public in Michigan?

Yes, incarceration records in Michigan are public information. Incarceration records encompass arrest, criminal history information, and other associated files. The Freedom of Information Act in Michigan gives citizens the right to access these records online without restrictions unless the record in question is under restricted access, either by the means of expunging or sealing the record. However, note that access to hard copies may require some administrative obligations such as eligibility, fee payments, etc.

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.

How to Look Up Jail Records in Michigan?

Jails are run by county or municipal governments in Michigan. The responsible agencies at the sheriff’s department or city police department, respectively. Accounts of arrests, jail custody, and copies of jail sentences issued by the court available at the relevant sheriff’s or police department. Either go in person,or visit the website of the county government.

Can Jail Records be Expunged in Michigan?

The Michigan Clean Slate Initiative allows persons with criminal records such as arrest and imprisonment to have their records expunged seven years after the last incarceration, provided there has been no criminal violations during the window time frame. Certain felonies do not qualify for expunction in Michigan. An example is a felony with a life sentence as the maximum penalty.