Are Michigan Inmate Records Public Information?
Yes. Michigan inmate records are open to public viewing and copying under the state's Freedom of Information Act. These records can be accessed from correctional or law enforcement agencies in Michigan, except in cases where access is restricted by statute or judicial order. For example, Michigan inmate medical records are releasable only to authorized parties by law.
Michigan Inmate Search
Michigan inmate records are documents containing official identification and administrative information of individuals in custody at Michigan correctional facilities. These documents include inmate names, genders, ages, identification numbers, and mugshots. Besides these, interested persons may also find out why someone is in jail, where they are incarcerated, and their release date by perusing inmate records or conducting a Michigan inmate search.
Inmate records are considered public in the United States and, therefore, are made available by both traditional governmental agencies as well as third-party websites and organizations. Third-party websites may offer an easier means to search, as these services do not face geographical limitations. However, because third-party sites are not government-sponsored, the information obtained through them may vary from official channels. To find inmate records using third-party aggregate sites, requesting parties must provide:
- The location of the sought-after record, including state, county, and city where the inmate resides.
- The name of the person listed in the record, unless it is a juvenile.
How to Find Someone in Jail in Michigan
Anyone can conduct a Michigan inmate search to find people incarcerated in state jails and prisons or find out why they are in jail. Individuals who want to find someone in a Michigan jail can access the inmate lookup sites provided by county sheriff's offices. This search has to be conducted independently, as the Michigan sheriffs do not maintain a central database of all locally incarcerated persons in Michigan. An individual can also call or visit an applicable sheriff's office to inquire about inmates.
Note that the Michigan inmate locator (the Offender Tracking Information System) provided on the Michigan Department of Corrections website can only be used to find inmates housed in state correctional facilities.
Facilities Operated by the Michigan Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
The Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) oversees the operations of the state prisons in Michigan. Its mandate also includes monitoring the probation and parole population. It currently administers 30 state prisons and a Special Alternative Incarceration (SAI) Facility. For more information about each of these facilities, follow the links provided in the Alphabetical List of Michigan Prisons.
The MDOC calls state prisons correctional facilities and classifies them into five levels according to inmate security risk and ease of managing the individuals incarcerated in these facilities. Level I prisons house inmates that pose the least risk, irrespective of their crimes, and are the easiest to manage. Level V facilities hold prisoners that pose maximum security risk and management problems.
The Special Alternative Incarceration Facility is under the administration of the Cooper Street Correctional Facility, one of the major prisons in the Michigan Correctional System. Unlike a regular prison, the SAI facility is a military-style boot camp and a Level I facility. This prison alternative runs a 90-day regimented program for individuals sentenced to the facility. Furthermore, these individuals are referred to as trainees rather than inmates or prisoners. The SAI facility teaches self-discipline and helps trainees change their negative behaviors to socially acceptable ones and acquire and apply rewarding skills/education.
Besides state-run correctional facilities, there are also county and city jails in Michigan. County detention and correctional facilities include jails, youth facilities, boot camps, work releases, and juvenile centers/homes. Sheriff’s offices usually run local jails and other correctional facilities in Michigan counties. Some Michigan towns and cities also have local jails managed by their police departments. The addresses and contact information of Michigan state prisons and correctional facilities are as follows:
Academy Hall
818 South Park Street,
Kalamazoo, MI 49001
Bay Pines Center
2425 North 30th Street,
Escanaba, MI 49829
Deerfield MI Correctional Facility
1755 Harwood Road,
Ionia, MI 48846
Detroit Reentry Center (PRF)
17600 Ryan Road,
Detroit, MI 48212
Hiawatha Correctional Facility
4533 West Industrial Park Drive,
Kincheloe, MI 49786-0001
Huron Valley MI Center
3211 Bemis Rd.,
Ypsilanti, MI 48917
Maxey Training School
9036 East M-36,
Whitmore Lake, MI 48189
Michigan DOC - Alger Correctional Facility (LMF)
N6141 Industrial Park Drive
P.O. Box 600,
Munising, MI 49862
Michigan DOC - Baraga Correctional Facility (AMF)
13924 Wadaga Road,
Baraga, MI 49908-9204
Michigan DOC - Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility (IBC)
1727 West Bluewater Highway,
Ionia, MI 48846
Michigan DOC - Boyer Road Correctional Facility (OTF) with Carson City CF
10274 Boyer Road
P.O. Box 5000,
Carson City, MI 48811-9746
Michigan DOC - Carson City Correctional Facility (DRF)
10274 Boyer Road,
Carson City, MI 48811-9746
Michigan DOC - Central Michigan Correctional Facility (STF)
320 North Hubbard,
St. Louis, MI 48880
Michigan DOC - Charles Egeler Reception & Guidance Center (RGC)
3855 Cooper Street,
Jackson, MI 49201-7547
Michigan DOC - Chippewa Correctional Facility (URF)
4269 West M-80,
Kincheloe, MI 49784
Michigan DOC - Cooper Street Correctional Facility (JCS)
3100 Cooper Street,
Jackson, MI 49201
How Do I Send Money to an Inmate in Michigan Prisons or Jails?
The MDOC uses a fund-processing vendor to accept funds on behalf of inmates in Michigan state prisons. Currently, it contracts this task to GTL Financial Services. There are four ways to send money to an inmate in a Michigan prison. These are by:
- Money order sent to GTL lockbox
- Credit/debit card deposit online
- Credit/debit card deposit by phone
- Card and cash deposit at select facilities
To send a money order to an inmate in a Michigan state prison, make the money order payable to GTL Financial Services and send it along with a completed deposit form (Spanish version) to:
GTL Financial Services 5700 SW 34th Street
Suite 1315
Gainesville, FL 32609-2835
Each money order deposit must not exceed $300 in value. GTL does not charge processing fees on money orders sent to Michigan inmates. However, it does charge processing fees for credit/debit card deposits made online at ConnectNetwork or by phone at (888) 988-4768. It also credits $1 from each transaction to the Prisoner Benefit Fund. Both fees also apply when making cash and credit/debit card deposits at GTL kiosks located in the lobbies of some Michigan state prisons.
County/city/township jails in Michigan use different vendors for handling inmate fund deposits. Visit the local jail’s page on the municipality’s website to find out approved methods of sending money to inmates in the facility. Most of these local jails accept cash and credit/card deposits at lobby kiosks, online, and by phone. Some also allow friends and family members to send money orders and checks by mail.
How to Get Approved to Visit an Inmate in Michigan Prisons and Jails
Before visiting an inmate in prison, the intended visitor must confirm that the inmate is currently incarcerated at that facility using the prison lookup tool. Next, the individual must be approved by the MDOC and placed on the inmate’s visiting list. Each inmate must complete a visiting list form identifying their immediate family members and up to 10 other individuals they want visiting them. Each of these named prospective visitors must then complete and submit a visiting application form along with a self-addressed stamped envelope to receive a reply notifying them of the status of their application.
Approved visitors can visit inmates during the visitation days and times for each facility per the MDOC’s visiting schedule (Spanish). Before visiting an inmate in a Michigan state prison, it is also important to also read the MDOC visiting standards (Spanish) for visitation rules and regulations. Michigan local jails have varying sets of rules and schedules for inmate visitation. To find out specific regulations and visitation times for a local jail, check the county sheriff's official website.
Note that a Michigan correctional facility may restrict all visits on short notice in the event of a communicable disease going through the prison population. In such cases, prisoners are quarantined to prevent the spread of the disease.
How to Find a County Inmate Roster in Michigan?
Every county in Michigan runs a county jail. Each county jail administration maintains a database of the incarcerated individuals in their custody. This database, otherwise called a county inmate roster or Michigan inmate search/lookup, can be accessed on a county's sheriff's website. Individuals may also query a sheriff's office for this roster, which can help find out who's in custody at a county jail.
How to Perform a Michigan Prison Inmate Search
The MDOC provides an inmate lookup tool known as the Offender Tracking Information System (OTIS). Interested persons may use the tool to perform a free inmate search by name. Besides using OTIS for a Michigan prison inmate search, a searcher can also use the tool to obtain records of offenders on parole or probation supervised by the MDOC. Michigan law requires the MDOC to keep inmate records on OTIS for up to three years after their release. You can search the OTIS database by offender name, MDOC number, sex, age, race, and status.
How to Perform a Michigan Jail Inmate Search
Each county/city/town jail in Michigan keeps its own database of inmates currently in custody and recently released. Generally, the Sheriff’s Office can assist parties to find out if someone is in jail. Some Sheriff’s Offices also maintain a dedicated county jail webpage, which the public can use to find a person in jail. Where these are unavailable, interested persons can visit the Sheriff’s Office to perform an inmate search in Michigan county jails. Alternatively, contact the sheriff’s office or police department by calling the administrative main phone lines to enquire about inmate status and records.
Michigan State Prisons and County Jails: Understanding the Difference
There are 83 state prisons and county jails in Michigan. The state prison population is about 38,000, while the county jail population is about 10,000.
Most of the state prisons are operated by the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC), although a few are privately operated. MDOC also operates a number of juvenile facilities. The largest prison in Michigan is the Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility, with a capacity of 2,200 inmates.
The majority of county jails in Michigan are located in the Lower Peninsula, with only a handful in the Upper Peninsula. The largest county jail is the Wayne County Jail, with a capacity of over 3,000 inmates.
Michigan has a relatively high incarceration rate, at 655 per 100,000 residents. This is due in part to the state's tough sentencing laws, which mandate long prison terms for many offenses. For example, Michigan has a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years for first-degree murder.
How Do I Find Out an Inmate Release Date?
Individuals who wish to obtain information about an inmate’s release date may use the Michigan inmate search tool to find the inmate. The release date is available in the status column and date paroled column under the search results.
How Do I Find Out Where Someone is Incarcerated in Michigan?
Inmate release dates are public information unless a court seals this information following proof or petition that making the information public poses a significant threat to the inmate. In that case, only immediate family members, crime victims, attorneys, and authorized criminal justice agency officials will have access to the inmate’s release date.
