25 Prisons in Michigan: Exploring the Correctional System

Michigan’s prison system is an integral part of the state’s criminal justice system, designed to ensure public safety and reduce crime. With a population of over 10 million people, Michigan has one of the largest prison populations in the United States, with over 36,000 inmates currently incarcerated in its facilities. These prisons range from minimum-security camps to maximum-security institutions, and they are managed by the Michigan Department of Corrections.

While the state has implemented various reforms aimed at reducing recidivism and improving inmate outcomes, Michigan’s prison system has faced significant challenges such as overcrowding, aging infrastructure, and inadequate staffing levels. This article will explore the history and current state of prisons in Michigan, examining issues such as prison conditions, inmate rehabilitation, and the impact of incarceration on Michigan communities.

Michigan Prison Map

Use the Michigan prison map below to locate any facility. Click on the map markers to read our detailed guide of that facility.

State Prisons

Prison Name	Location	Inmate Capacity	Security Levels	Gender	Operator/ Manager
Alger Correctional Facility	Munising	1,316	Level II, Level IV, Segregation	Male	Michigan Department of Corrections
Baraga Correctional Facility	Michigan	868	Level I, Level V, Administrative Segregation	Male	Michigan Department of Corrections
Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility	Ionia, Michigan	1,336	Level I, Level II, Level IV, Protective Housing, Administrative Segregation	Male	Michigan Department of Corrections
Carson City Correctional Facility	Michigan	2,526	Level I	Male	Michigan Department of Corrections
Central Michigan Correctional Facility	St. Louis, Gratiot County, Michigan	2,560	Level I	Male	Michigan Department of Corrections
Chippewa Correctional Facility	Kincheloe	1,286	Level II, Level IV, Level I, Segregation, Detention	Male	Michigan Department of Corrections
Cooper Street Correctional Facility	Michigan	1,752	Level I	Male	Michigan Department of Corrections
Earnest C. Brooks Correctional Facility	Muskegon, Michigan	1,032	Level I, II, IV	Male	Michigan Department of Corrections
G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility	Jackson County, Michigan	2,387	Multi-level	Male	Michigan Department of Corrections
Gus Harrison Correctional Facility	Michigan	1,060	Multi-security	Male	Michigan Department of Corrections
Ionia Correctional Facility	Ionia	2,304	Level V, II	Male	Michigan Department of Corrections
Kinross Correctional Facility	Kincheloe, Michigan	1,600	Level I, II	Male	Michigan Department of Corrections
Lakeland Correctional Facility	Coldwater	1,562	Level II	Male	Michigan Department of Corrections
Macomb Correctional Facility	New Haven	1,128	Level II, Level IV, Level I	Male	Michigan Department of Corrections
Muskegon Correctional Facility	Muskegon Heights	1,243	Level II	Male	Michigan Department of Corrections
Newberry Correctional Facility	Pentland Township, Luce County, Michigan	1,104	Level II	Male	Michigan Department of Corrections
Oaks Correctional Facility	Manistee	1,286	Level II, Level IV	Male	Michigan Department of Corrections
Parnall Correctional Facility	Michigan	1,700	Level I	Male	Michigan Department of Corrections
Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility	Ionia County, Michigan	1,740	Mixed	Male	Michigan Department of Corrections
Saginaw Correctional Facility	Freeland	992	Level I, II, IV	Male	Michigan Department of Corrections
St. Louis Correctional Facility	St. Louis, Gratiot County, Michigan	1,328	Level IV	Male	Michigan Department of Corrections
Thumb Correctional Facility	Lapeer, Michigan	988	Level II	Mixed	Michigan Department of Corrections
Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility	Ypsilanti	2,137	Level I, II, IV	Female	Michigan Department of Corrections
Woodland Center Correctional Facility	Whitmore Lake	420	Level I, II	Male	Michigan Department of Corrections

Alger Correctional Facility

The Alger Correctional Facility, located in Michigan, is comprised of six housing units, five of which are identical and the sixth containing additional beds. Of these units, three are designated as general population level IV, one is general population level II, and two are used for segregation.

The segregation units run an Incentives In Segregation program, while one of the level IV general population units has a re-integration program and the level II housing unit offers a rescue dog training program. Other buildings on the premises include those for food service, healthcare, maintenance, education, and administrative offices.

The facility offers a range of prisoner programs, including adult basic education, general education development classes, violence prevention programs, Thinking for a Change, employment readiness, substance-abuse education treatment, psychotherapy, outpatient substance abuse programming, and religious activities.

Medical, optical, x-ray and dental care are provided on-site for routine care, with serious and emergency problems being referred to local community providers, the Brooks Medical Center at Marquette Branch Prison, or the Duane L. Waters Health Care in Jackson.

Baraga Correctional Facility

Baraga Correctional Facility is a maximum-security prison located in Michigan. The facility consists of eight housing units, seven of which are level V units inside the secure perimeter of the facility.

Four of these are general population units and three are administrative segregation. The capacity for the level V portion of the facility is 616 prisoners. Additionally, there is a 252-bed unit for level I prisoners that houses a leader dog program.

Other buildings on the premises include food service, healthcare, prisoner services, maintenance, warehouse, and administration. Education programs at the facility include adult basic education, general education development, and employment readiness. Treatment services include counseling, substance-abuse services, psychotherapy, and religious activities.

Leisure time activities consist of a general library, law library, gym, and weights. Prisoners receive on-site routine medical and dental care, while serious and emergency problems are treated via local community providers, the Brooks Medical Center at Marquette Branch Prison, and the Duane L. Waters Health Care in Jackson.

Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility

Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility, located in Ionia, Michigan, is the newest facility built by the Michigan Department of Corrections. The multi-level facility houses level I, level II, and level IV prisoners, as well as protective housing and administrative segregation prisoners.

In addition, prisoners serve institutional needs in areas such as food service, the library, recreational aides, and maintenance workers. Bellamy Creek offers a range of educational opportunities, including adult basic education and general education development, special education courses, and vocational training in building education technology.

The prison also provides group counseling and religious services, as well as mental health services, including psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers. Additional programs include substance abuse, violence prevention, and cognitive restructuring.

Bellamy Creek is an In-Reach Facility for the Department’s reentry services, promoting offender success for those paroling to 13 different counties in Michigan.

Carson City Correctional Facility

Carson City Correctional Facility, located in Michigan, is a multi-level prison with the capacity to house 2,526 adult prisoners. The facility consists of 15 housing units, including DRF-West which has seven housing units, and DRF-East which has eight Secure level I housing units.

The facility offers food service, school, health care, and indoor activity areas on both the West and East sides. Carson City Correctional Facility is committed to providing academic, technical, and workplace skills training for adult prisoners, including adult basic education (ABE), employment readiness, and vocational training.

The facility also offers various self-help and substance abuse programs, including Substance Abuse Phase II, Narcotics Anonymous (NA), and Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Additionally, eligible offenders suffering from opioid addiction can participate in the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) program.

Religious activities are also offered, coordinated through the facility’s chaplain, and offer a wide range of active religions.

Central Michigan Correctional Facility

Central Michigan Correctional Facility is a level I prison situated in the northeast section of St. Louis, Gratiot County, Michigan. The facility occupies about 70 acres of land and comprises separate buildings for administration, food service, education/activity, warehouse/maintenance, prisoner housing, and transportation.

It houses 2560 secure level I prisoners in 16 separate housing units contained in eight buildings, with each unit accommodating 160 prisoners in a dormitory-style setting. The facility offers various programs such as psychological counseling and substance abuse treatment to prepare prisoners for their release.

Central Michigan Correctional Facility partners with Central Michigan University and Jackson College to provide prisoners with educational opportunities, including academic and career technical education.

Prisoners can also participate in service-learning programs, such as building wall panels, sheds, cabinets, and countertops for local communities. Furthermore, the facility grows several thousands of pounds of vegetables that are donated each year to local food banks.

Chippewa Correctional Facility

Chippewa Correctional Facility, located in Michigan, is a large correctional institution consisting of both East and West sides. The East side of the facility includes various housing units, such as level II, level IV, level I, segregation, and detention units.

The West side, formerly Straits Correctional Facility, provides dormitory-style level II housing. Both sides of the facility have administration buildings, maintenance departments, and warehouses.

In terms of programming, the facility offers a variety of academic and vocational instruction, counseling, substance abuse treatment, horticulture, recreational and religious programs, and cognitive behavior restructuring.

Additionally, the facility works with Michigan Leader Dogs for the Blind, allowing prisoners to raise and train puppies for future leader dogs. The facility also provides on-site medical, dental, and mental health care for its prisoners.

Cooper Street Correctional Facility

Cooper Street Correctional Facility in Michigan is a Secure level I prison that was opened in July 1997. It is located across the street from the old State Prison of Southern Michigan and was expanded to accommodate 1752 beds.

The facility serves as a release center for prisoners who are about to parole, discharge or transfer to community center placement. Cooper Street is an active member of the Department’s Community Liaison Committee in the Jackson County area and maintains open communication between the community and prison administration.

The facility offers various academic and religious programs, including adult basic education (ABE), general education degree (GED), higher education development, and degrees from Jackson College, MSU Inside/Out program, and U of M programming.

In addition, Cooper Street offers MDOC core evidence-based programming, such as advanced substance abuse treatment, MIVPP, employment readiness, pre-release, Michigan sexual abuse prevention program (MSAPP), violence prevention program (VPP), and Thinking for a Change.

Routine medical and dental services are provided on-site, while serious medical problems are treated at either Duane L. Waters Health Center or Henry Ford Allegiance Hospital.

Earnest C. Brooks Correctional Facility

Earnest C. Brooks Correctional Facility, located near Muskegon, Michigan, is a 76-acre facility adjacent to the Port City Industrial Park. The prison comprises six housing units, with three of them being level II and accommodating up to 240 prisoners each.

Two units are level IV and house up to 192 prisoners each, while the sixth is level I and can house up to 120 prisoners. The housing units are separated by additional internal fencing to prohibit prisoners of different security levels from mixing, except for limited, controlled situations.

The facility also has a 22-bed segregation unit. LRF provides a range of academic and vocational programs, including special education, adult basic education, general education development, and food tech, which promote offender success.

Michigan State Industries operates a prison laundry, which provides laundry services to several state and federal agencies.

G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility

The G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility (JCF) is a multi-level prison situated on 114 acres in Jackson County, Michigan. It is comprised of several buildings, including six pole barn housing buildings, eleven brick housing buildings, an administration building, an education building, and two food service buildings.

The facility offers various academic programs, such as adult basic education, general education development preparation, special education, English as a second language (ESL), Jackson College, employment readiness, and food technology training programs.

It also has healthcare, maintenance, Michigan State Industries, and the Michigan Braille Transcribing Fund. The JCF is a Prisoner Re-entry facility for the statewide medical and Wayne County population.

It offers evidence-based cognitive programs and has the Leader Dog for the Blind program. Prisoners are provided on-site medical, dental, and mental health services, with serious medical problems treated at the department’s Duane Waters Health Center (DWH).

Gus Harrison Correctional Facility

The Gus Harrison Correctional Facility, located in Michigan, is a multi-security prison named after the department’s first director. The facility is situated on the eastern border of Adrian and comprises 6 housing units that can accommodate up to 1,060 prisoners.

The prison offers a unique dog program in collaboration with The Ability Center’s Assistance Dogs Program, where dogs are trained on-site and then placed in a home to serve as a service companions.

Academic programs include general education development, special education courses, and college courses, while vocational training in optical, culinary arts, and license plate production is also available.

Additionally, the prison offers various programs such as substance abuse, MiDVP, violence prevention, and employment readiness, among others. Medical and dental care is provided on-site, while serious issues are referred to Duane L. Waters Healthcare in Jackson.

The prison has a team of psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers for prisoners with mental health problems, and referrals to outside medical facilities are made when necessary.

Ionia Correctional Facility

The Ionia Correctional Facility in Michigan is a level V and level II facility that houses prisoners in different units. The facility comprises five level V housing units, including two administrative segregation units, and three general population units, one of which is the START NOW Program.

Each level V unit has a day room area, showers, laundry room, staff offices, and a fenced-in activity and recreational yard. The administrative segregation units offer outdoor recreation in single-occupancy security exercise modules.

The level II housing consists of two units with 140 beds in each unit, with shower, laundry, and recreation areas. The level II prisoners have separate yard areas with access to various sports facilities.

The facility offers academic, employment readiness, and treatment services, including mental health treatment, counseling, and substance abuse programs. It also has a library, a gymnasium, a weight room, and a barbershop.

The facility provides on-site routine medical and dental care, and emergency cases are treated at Sparrow Ionia Hospital and the Duane L. Waters Health Center in Jackson.

Kinross Correctional Facility

Kinross Correctional Facility is a medium-security prison located in Kincheloe, Michigan. Originally opened in 1977, the facility underwent a relocation in 2015 to a closed facility nearby.

The prison is capable of accommodating up to 1,600 prisoners with eight level II housing units and a level I unit housing 320 prisoners. The facility also includes an administration building, a programs building, maintenance, food service, and indoor activity areas.

In terms of programming, Kinross offers educational courses leading to GED completion, vocational training, and employment readiness counseling. The prison also offers cognitive behavioral courses in violence prevention, domestic violence prevention, and thinking for change.

Substance abuse education and counseling are also provided. Prisoners have access to a law and general library, psychological services, and a fully staffed medical and dental care unit. Religious services and recreational activities are also available to the prisoners.

Lakeland Correctional Facility

Lakeland Correctional Facility is a prison located in Michigan that provides housing for geriatric prisoners in dormitory-style units. The facility has 16 housing units that include two different rescue dog training programs, one of which has been at the facility since late 2006 and the other since 2008.

In addition to housing, the facility has a separate food service building, two schools, and indoor activity areas. Education programs are offered, including employment readiness, adult basic education, and general education development preparation.

Vocational training is also available in the food service technology program. The facility offers a range of core and elective programming, including violence prevention programming, Thinking for a Change, and advanced substance abuse treatment.

Law library and general library services are available, as well as religious activities coordinated through the facility’s chaplain. On-site dental, medical, and mental health services are provided, with serious medical problems treated at the Duane Water’s Hospital Health Care in Jackson.

Macomb Correctional Facility

The Macomb Correctional Facility in Michigan is a significant prison that occupies a 100-acre site. It consists of 11 major buildings and two minor buildings, which add up to approximately 300,000 square feet.

The facility features four level II housing units, two level IV housing units, and one level I housing unit outside the secure perimeter. Other buildings within the prison include a school, administrative offices, support services, and storage.

The prison offers educational programming, such as special education, general education development preparation, adult basic education, and vocational classes. Additionally, the facility staff collaborates with community groups and encourages community volunteer participation.

Routine health and dental care are available on-site, and major medical emergencies are treated at a community hospital or at the Duane L. Waters Health Center in Jackson. A residential treatment program is also provided for prisoners who require a residential setting for mental health treatment.

Muskegon Correctional Facility

The Muskegon Correctional Facility in Michigan is a level II double-bunked facility with 11 buildings, including six housing units, food service, educational/leisure time activities and programs, and administration. Housing unit one contains a 27-bed segregation unit, healthcare, and 182 general population prisoners.

The facility’s faith base unit, unit six, houses 160 general population prisoners, while the remaining housing unit houses 238 general population prisoners. Muskegon Correctional Facility offers a range of programs, including special education and GED preparation and testing, a state-of-the-art welding program, horticulture, and employment readiness classes.

The facility also provides reentry programming in the form of violence prevention programming, Thinking for a Change, building responsible dynamic gaining essential safety, substance abuse education phase 2, and advanced substance abuse.

Additionally, Muskegon Correctional Facility offers a variety of leisure activities, religious services, and general and legal library services. The facility also hosts the Prison Fellowships Pre-release Academy and Urban Ministry Institute programming, as well as PAW’s for a Cause dog training program.

Newberry Correctional Facility

Newberry Correctional Facility, located in Pentland Township, Luce County, Michigan, was formerly part of the Newberry Regional Mental Health Center.

With 1104 general population beds and four temporary holding cells, the facility offers a variety of prisoner programming, including high school equivalency (HSE), adult basic education (ABE), welding trades, employment counseling, and several substance abuse programs such as Alcohol Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA).

In addition, prisoners have access to a general and law library, indoor and outdoor recreational activities, religious options, and self-help classes.

The facility also provides on-site routine medical, dental, optical, and mental health services, with more serious problems and emergencies referred to area hospitals and clinics. NCF also partners with a local animal shelter to provide housing and training for shelter dogs.

Oaks Correctional Facility

Oaks Correctional Facility, located in Michigan, is a large complex consisting of eleven main buildings with a total of 262,673 square feet of floor space. The facility houses prisoners in seven main buildings, including a segregation unit, a protective housing unit, and five general population units.

Among the five general population units, two are level II and three are level IV. Two of the level IV units are set up as an ALTERNATIVE to SEGREGATION (START Program) to provide a secure general population alternative to administrative segregation.

Prisoners diagnosed with serious mental illness are placed in one of these units, where they can progress through the START program. The program is designed to provide programming and other structured and unstructured activities based on the prisoner’s positive adjustment, with the goal of reintegration into the traditional general population.

There is also one specialized housing unit that houses prisoners whose protection needs cannot be met in a traditional general population setting, and who do not require placement in administrative segregation based on their conduct.

Parnall Correctional Facility

The Parnall Correctional Facility, located in Michigan, has been in operation since 1926 and is a secure level I (minimum security section of the former State Prison of Southern Michigan). The facility is situated on approximately 45 acres of land and comprises five housing units and an additional 21 buildings.

It houses nearly 1,700 level one adult male prisoners aged 18 and above. The facility serves as an in-reach site for the entire state of Michigan, with the aim of preparing prisoners for a successful transition to their community.

The education department offers a range of programs, including adult basic education with a focus on achieving a general education diploma (GED), special education, the Pell Grant College Program, and the Vocational Village.

The facility also provides self-help programs such as AA/NA, substance abuse (phase II), and cognitive restructuring programs, including Thinking for a Change and violence prevention program (VPP). Mental health services are provided by an integrated team of psychologists, psychiatrists, and licensed counseling staff.

The facility has on-site health care services, and prisoners are required to work unless prohibited for health reasons. Leisure time activities such as recreation, hobby craft, music, writing, poetry, and art programs are also available, and prisoners have access to a general and law library.

Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility

The Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility is a correctional facility in Michigan that was named after the prison’s first warden. The facility is operated by the Michigan Department of Corrections and is located in Ionia County.

The facility’s philosophy is that prisoners who have completed the GED and learned a marketable skill have a much better chance of becoming contributing members of society. The facility houses prisoners who have been placed in various programs such as the adaptive skills residential program, residential treatment program, and vocational education.

The facility also offers academic programs, supplement programs, recreation and leisure time programs, and religious services. The Vocational Village program is a first-of-its-kind skilled trades training program that aims to provide a positive learning community for prisoners who are serious about completing career and technical education.

Saginaw Correctional Facility

Saginaw Correctional Facility is a large correctional institution located in Tittabawassee Township, Saginaw County, Michigan. The facility spans over a 43-acre area and was built on a 142-acre site.

The facility has 11 main buildings, which total about 303,850 square feet. It comprises three level II buildings, three level IV buildings, and one level I building. It also has separate buildings for education, programs, administration, food service, health care, and maintenance.

The level II housing units are unique in that they have three separate dog programs, including Paws With A Cause, Blue Star Dog Program, and Iron Paws. Each program works with different outside agencies to provide either specialized training and placement or training and adoption in the community.

St. Louis Correctional Facility

St. Louis Correctional Facility in Michigan is a level IV prison located on 67 acres of land in the northeast section of St. Louis, in Gratiot County. The facility has separate buildings for administration, food services, education, maintenance, storage, and prisoner housing.

It has six general population housing units, one of which is an adaptive skills residential program (ASRP) unit that provides specialized programming in a supportive housing environment for prisoners. The segregation unit houses up to 96 prisoners.

The prison offers a range of programming and services, including pre-release preparation, psychological counseling, Thinking for Change, violence prevention program (VPP), substance-abuse treatment, adult basic education, general education development, and special education opportunities.

Other programs and services include a general and law library, hobby crafts, religious services, recreation programs, and a barbershop. Prisoners receive on-site routine medical and dental care, and serious problems are treated at the department’s Duane L. Waters Health Care in Jackson.

Thumb Correctional Facility

Thumb Correctional Facility (TCF) in Michigan is a level II correctional facility with seven general population housing units that provide day rooms, showers, laundry facilities, and staff offices. The facility houses adult prisoners, youthful offenders, and medically frail prisoners.

TCF also has a segregation unit equipped with stainless steel sinks and toilets and slotted doors for meal services. The administrative building includes staff offices, prisoner records, and visiting areas.

On-site medical care is provided to prisoners, including x-ray, dental, and mental health services, with referrals made to outside medical facilities when necessary. TCF offers vocational trades classes, evidence-based programs, and dog training programs to help prisoners prepare for re-entry into society.

Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility

Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Michigan is the state’s only correctional facility that exclusively houses female inmates.

It offers a variety of housing units for general population prisoners in levels I, II, and IV, as well as special alternative incarceration, residential treatment programs, acute care, dialectical behavior therapy, infirmary, and segregation. The facility also provides all reception center processing.

In addition to inmate services, Women’s Huron Valley houses Correctional Mental Health Programs Administration and the Washtenaw County Parole offices. The facility is responsible for personnel, prisoner records, business office, maintenance operations, and warehouse operations.

Woodland Center Correctional Facility

Woodland Center Correctional Facility (WCC) in Michigan is currently home to the Inpatient Mental Health and Crisis Stabilization Program for MDOC. The facility also provides medical services to all prisoners housed there, with an infirmary and clinic on site.

WCC has two housing units, one for level I prisoners and another for level II dialysis patients. The general population prisoners at WCC serve as the facility’s workforce. The Crisis Stabilization Program is a referral-based program for prisoners experiencing serious mental health crises, offering individualized treatment plans to diagnose, treat, and stabilize patients.

Additionally, WCC offers a variety of programming, including substance abuse education, violence prevention, and cognitive skills groups, as well as pet therapy and creative expression.

Federal Prisons

Location	Inmate Capacity	Security Level	Gender	Operator/ Manager
Milan, Michigan	1,154	Low-security	Male	Federal Bureau of Prisons

Federal Correctional Institution, Milan

The Federal Correctional Institution, Milan is a low-security facility for male inmates in Michigan. Operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the institution covers approximately 332 acres and consists of 59 buildings with a total gross floor area of 504,200 square feet.

The adjacent Federal Detention Center houses pretrial and holdover inmates. Located 45 miles southwest of Detroit, 15 miles south of Ann Arbor, and 30 miles north of Toledo, FCI Milan is situated in York Township with a portion in Milan.

While the facility is designed to provide inmates with various educational and vocational opportunities, it is also equipped with a range of security measures to ensure the safety of staff, inmates, and the public.

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