MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS

JACKSON COUNTY, MI - A Michigan Department of Corrections officer from Jackson was killed Saturday night in a motorcycle crash on I-94, police said. Investigators determined a 2020 Yamaha motorcycle driven by Jamie Brockwell, 49, of Jackson, lost control on the westbound I-94 entrance ramp and struck a guardrail, police said. Brockwell began his career as a corrections officer in 1998 at Gus Harrison Correctional Facility in Adrian, said Michigan Department of Corrections spokesman Chris Gautz. Parnall Correctional Facility staff described Brockwell as a “one-of-a-kind officer,” Gautz said. “Officer Brockwell was also appreciated for his high degree of involvement in recruitment and always being security-minded,” Gautz said.

LENOX TOWNSHIP, MI -- The Michigan Department of Corrections is trying to determine how an inmate was killed Tuesday at the Macomb Correctional Facility and if it is connected to another stabbing that also took place at the prison. According to WDIV-Detroit, an inmate at the prison stabbed another inmate multiple times Tuesday morning as they were leaving the chow hall. The victim in that attack suffered wounds to his back, arm, and face, but he was eventually treated and released from the hospital. When staff began searching the suspect’s cell for contraband, they discovered his cellmate had also suffered serious injuries. Life saving measures were attempted, but the cellmate was eventually declared dead.

The Michigan Department of Corrections has a list of its most wanted escapees.

The Flint native was granted clemency by Gov. Whitmer in 2020

The Flint native was granted clemency by Gov. Whitmer in 2020

Morning 4 is a quick roundup of stories we think you should know about to start your day.

Phone calls to Michigan prisoners are about to get 38 percent cheaper, state leaders said. Michigan Department of Corrections administrators on Thursday, Sept. 28 said a renegotiated contract with the state’s provider for prison phone calls will mean about $11 million in savings per year for prisoners’ famlies. prisoners also will receive one free 10-minute phone call per week. ViaPath Technologies, Virginia-based company, has been the MDOC’s prisoner phone provider since 2010. “Enabling prisoners and their loved ones to maintain communication and in an affordable fashion is good for everyone involved,” Michigan Department of Corrections Director Heidi Washington said in a written statement.

It’s been three years since Jonathan Lancaster died behind bars, strapped to a chair and his family wants to know why more isn’t being done to hold prison staff accountable.

The merger of prison units at Gus Harrison Correctional Facility in Adrian and a planned November closure of Michigan Reformatory in Ionia will allow the MDOC to “drastically reduce the need for mandated overtime,” the department said. “Michigan’s prison population peaked in March 2007 when it stood at 51,554,” the MDOC said. The MDOC intends to move staff and prisoners displaced by closure of Michigan Reformatory, which houses nearly 1,200 inmates, to three other correctional facilities with vacancies in Ionia. There are 33 prison housing units currently closed across the state. Michigan teen accused of murdering ‘best friend’105-year-old photo shows Michigan’s first state troopers guarding railroad tunnel

A man who beat his wife and sexually abused his daughter when she was just 3 years old has their information after his parole officer shared it with him.

LANSING, MI – The Michigan Court of Appeals has affirmed a jury’s decision in 2019 to award $11 million to a couple in a racial discrimination lawsuit against the Michigan Department of Corrections. Lisa and Cedric Griffey were awarded $11 million following a month-long jury trial that stemmed from a lawsuit filed against the MDOC claiming employment discrimination and retaliation under the Civil Rights Act. The appeal also sought a new trial on the grounds the trial court erroneously admitted improper evidence and that the damages were excessive. After the lawsuit was filed, Cedric Griffey, 57, joined the lawsuit as an additional plaintiff after the MDOC allegedly retaliated against him. “We conclude the that trial court did not abuse its discretion by allowing plaintiffs to display the demonstrative,” the judges wrote on the issue.

Incarcerated people in Michigan state prisons are required to serve their minimum sentence and cannot earn credits for good behavior unless the crime was committed before 1987.

Calvin University and Calvin Theological Seminary have worked for several years with the Michigan Department of Corrections on it Calvin Prison Initiative (CPI) that allows prisoners to earn degrees. “It’s changed my perspective, it changed me, it changed my attitude,” said Curtis Frye, an inmate who earned a degree through the Calvin Prison Initiative and participated in the May 9 ceremony. The Calvin Prison Initiative is a five-year program in which students can earn a Christian liberal arts education. Prisoners earned degrees from Calvin University and Calvin Theological Seminary through the Calvin Prison Initiative. (Cory Morse | MLive.com)Cory Morse | MLive.comClick into the gallery below to see more photos, or click here for a direct link to the gallery.

The Michigan Department of Corrections has denied parole for a convicted serial killer who confessed to killing four women in the Lansing area in the 1970s.

The Michigan Department of Corrections has denied parole for a convicted serial killer who confessed to killing four women in the Lansing area in the 1970s.

LANSING, MI – Michigan’s prisons are struggling with worker burnout due to “excessive” mandated overtime shifts as the Michigan Department of Corrections deals with more than 800 staff vacancies across the state, officials say. Alexander said the bill would address critical staff shortages in Michigan prisons, including in Alexander’s 64th House District, where there are four correctional facilities in the city of Jackson. That seems to have been historically a good balance, where it allows staff who want to work overtime to do so. The department has also tried to minimize the impact of staff vacancies by closing 41 housing units across the state’s 27 prison facilities, which has allowed the department to staff fewer positions. WhitmerNorthern Michigan middle school teacher charged with assault following incident with student8 Michigan hospitals, hundreds of care sites will unite under new Trinity Health brand

WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI – A lawsuit filed more than 10 years ago claiming rules preventing men from working in certain positions in Michigan’s only all-female prison discriminates against male employees has ended with a jury siding with the state. Jurors reached a unanimous verdict Friday, Jan. 21, finding the Michigan Department of Corrections’ rules limiting what roles male correctional officers could be employed in at the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility are not discriminatory against male corrections officers. “This is great news for the department, and we are beyond pleased to see the jury unanimously ruled in our favor,” MDOC Director Heidi Washington said. A class action lawsuit was filed in 2011 claiming the positions discriminated against male correctional officers based on their gender and led to being denied overtime opportunities. “MDOC’s approach to staffing the Women’s Huron Valley Correction Facility is an example of a reasonable policy that best keeps prisoners and staff safe.

A jury has ruled in favor of the state Corrections Department in a trial about work opportunities for male officers at Michigan’s only prison for women.

Protesters plan to converge outside of Michigan’s only prison for women on Sunday following disturbing allegations of rape, retaliation, and neglect. Two former employees of...

Trial is underway in a long-running lawsuit that accuses the Michigan prison system of illegally discriminating against male officers at the state’s only prison for women.

The number of confirmed omicron cases in the state has more than doubled in the last week. Michigan now is reporting 617 total cases in 41 of 83 counties and the Michigan Department of Corrections. A week ago, there were less than 300 confirmed cases in 18 counties. As of Tuesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated 95% of U.S. cases were omicron. RELATED: Michigan reports 44,524 new, reported COVID-19 cases in two days ending Monday, Jan. 10The United States is seeing high case counts across the country.

SAGINAW, MI — Less than a year after being discharged from the Michigan Department of Corrections, a Saginaw man is charged with robbing two men at gunpoint after allegedly setting them up on Facebook. The evening of Oct. 9, a 49-year-old Sterling Heights man arranged through Facebook to buy a 2012 Cadillac CTS, agreeing to meet the seller at a residence on Tuscola Street in Saginaw, prosecutors said. The man and his 40-year-old brother went to the location, where they were accosted by two men brandishing guns, prosecutors said. Crowley left his vehicle at the crash site and went to Ascension St. Mary’s Hospital for treatment, police said. Armed robbery and conspiracy to commit it are life offenses.

JACKSON COUNTY, MI – A Michigan Department of Corrections prison officer has been arrested and charged with smuggling drugs into a Jackson-area prison. Correctional Officer Thomas Saverio Daugherty was arrested Monday, Dec. 20, after a police investigation found evidence he was smuggling drugs into the Parnall Correctional Faculty outside the city of Jackson, according to Michigan State Police. State police were contacted Dec. 17 by Michigan Department of Corrections internal investigators with information indicating Daugherty, 46, of Jackson, may have been smuggling drugs into the facility, police said. MSP officers investigated the allegation and arrested him after executing a search warrant on his home, police said. He is scheduled for a probable cause conference Jan. 7 before Jackson County District Judge Daniel Goostrey.

LANSING, MI – Prisoners in Michigan whose immediate family members pass away will now be able to attend the funeral service virtually through a video connection at the prison, the Michigan Department of Corrections announced Tuesday. While incarcerated individuals still do not have a right to have an in-person or video funeral visit, wardens will ensure efforts are made to allow a prisoner to view the funeral of an immediate family member via video when possible.

Criminal-justice reform advocates are preparing to collect signatures to launch a ballot initiative that would enable Michigan prisoners to reduce their sentences through good behavior....

Gretchen Whitmer’s administration recently expanded maternal and postpartum health care for incarcerated mothers through a new policy directive with the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC). Before this, pregnant inmates were not formally guaranteed the right to form a birth plan or even have direct contact with their newborns. State Sen. Erika Geiss (D-Taylor), who collaborated with Whitmer and MDOC, says this policy signals a larger movement in protecting the health care rights of the larger incarcerated population. She was the sponsor of bills in 2020 that would have gone even farther to give more latitude to pregnant and postpartum inmates. “Even as recently as just before this policy directive was announced, there were women who are inmates who were still receiving similar treatment.”She says this policy gives incarcerated mothers more agency in their health care decisions.

Almost two years later, a federal investigation into the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) reached an agreement regarding the religious practices of prisoners on Thursday, Nov. 4. The U.S. Department of Justice investigation and agreement addressed MDOC’s policy of a five-person minimum for group worship and religious activities; its policy of prohibiting group religious practice for certain religious groups— Hindu, Yoruba, Hebrew Israelite and Thelema practitioners; and its restrictions limiting access to kosher meals for the Passover holiday for those not on the kosher diet year-round.

The Department of Justice today announced that it has reached an agreement with the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) to resolve its investigation of MDOC, pursuant to the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA). These policies and procedures will be changed pursuant to the agreement reached today. “The religious rights of all people, including those detained inside our nation’s jails and prisons, must be protected,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. The Department of Justice will have access to documents and correctional facilities to assess compliance with the agreement. The Department of Justice issued a report on the 20th Anniversary of RLUIPA in 2020 (https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1319031/download) and a statement on the Institutionalized Persons Provisions of RLUIPA in 2017 (https://www.justice.gov/crt/page/file/974661/download).

A recent federal court ruling ensures Michigan prisoners who practice Judaism will receive holiday cheesecake behind bars. U.S. District Judge Linda Parker, following a one-day trial in 2019, sided with the Jewish prisoners and ordered the MDOC to submit an agreement to feed prisoners dairy products and kosher meat on certain days. Parker also agreed that prisoners should be allowed cheesecake on Shavuot, based on claims that it’s part of the celebratory ritual of the religious holiday. And at dinnertime, they will feed them chicken bologna.”Attorneys for the MDOC have questioned the authenticity of Jewish prisoners’ religious piety. “And their purchases have not been insignificant in relation to their low wages and the cost of meat and dairy products.

Michigan has recorded more than 1 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, the health department said Sept. 22.

A Michigan Department of Corrections employee is making scathing allegations and accusing his employer of blocking him from promotions because of the color of his skin.

A current and former deputy warden are suing the Michigan Department of Corrections, alleging they were denied promotions because they are Black and were retaliated...

Despite the risk of COVID-19 infections between Michigan’s prison staff and prison population, the Michigan Department of Corrections has no plans to implement a coronavirus vaccine for staff. The state of Michigan has not mandated coronavirus vaccines for state employees. She said like any congregate setting, there’s a higher risk for the prison population to contract coronavirus. Ten college or university campuses across the state, including the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Oakland University are implementing some for of vaccine mandates. “So if the governor would mandate vaccines for all state employees, that would take care of the problem.”More on MLive:Michigan governor unlikely to issue statewide mask mandateGov.

Officials say an inmate at a western Michigan prison was attacked and killed over the weekend by two other inmates.

MUSKEGON, MI - A prisoner was attacked and killed Saturday afternoon by two other inmates at a Muskegon correctional facility, according to a written statement from the Michigan Department of Corrections. The victim was in his cell at Earnest C. Brooks Correctional Facility around 3:30 p.m. Saturday when two other prisoners walked in and attacked him with a weapon, according to the statement. The other inmates were in his cell for less than a minute before leaving. Along with the victim’s cellmate, the suspects were placed in segregation and have since been transferred to a maximum-security facility, according to the statement. Michigan State Police has arrived at the facility to begin an investigation, according to the statement.

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Disgraced ex-Detroit City Council President, Charles Pugh is set to be paroled at the end of this year as reported by Deadline Detroit. The former...

A Wayne County man who was exonerated after spending 17 years in prison for a double murder has been awarded nearly $10 million. Mubarez Ahmed...

Monroe man sentenced in Hillsdale

A Michigan man who spent nearly 32 years in prison for murder is being released Wednesday after DNA evidence ruled him out as the killer....

FLINT, MI -- Two Flint men, each imprisoned for more than 25 years, have been granted parole, according to information posted online by the Michigan Department of Corrections. Michigan Department of Corrections records show both men were paroled April 27 and will remain on supervision for the next four years. He apologized to the Parole Board the son of one of his victims during a hearing in December. McDonough was sentenced to life in prison in 1995 after he pleaded guilty to first-degree criminal sexual conduct. Read more on MLive:Convicted of sexual assault 25 years ago, former Flint welder asks for release from prisonFlint man convicted in brutal murders tells Parole Board, ‘I know the damage I have caused’78-year-old Flint man who police once dubbed ‘the garage rapist’ seeks prison release

LENAWEE COUNTY, MI – Multiple guns, drugs and stacks of illicit cash in the hands of parolees were seized by police assisting a Michigan Department of Corrections operation conducting parolee compliance checks. Investigators from the Region of Irish Hills Narcotics Office, or RHINO, assisted in MDOC’s Operation Nighthawk Tuesday night, March 30, conducting surprise compliance checks on addresses of parolees in Lenawee County, according to the Michigan State Police. During the operation officers located multiple offenders in violation of parole who were in possession of drugs, drug trafficking paraphernalia and guns, police said. Police seized the following during the operation:One 12-gauge shotgunOne AK-47 style 7.62 x 39 rifleMultiple AK-47 magazines including a 75-round drumOne AR-style .22 CR rifleMultiple AR magazinesOne Glock 9mm handgunThree drum magazine that hold 31, 40 and 50 roundsOne Sig Sauer 9mm handgunTwo Sig Sauer magazinesTwo simulated suppressorsMore than 1,000 rounds of various handgun, shotgun and rifle ammunitionMarijuana and marijuana extractsCrack cocaine$5,000 cashCharges are pending against one offender while another was taken to the Lenawee County JailTroopers from the Michigan State Police Monroe Post, an MSP K9 unit and the MSP Emergency Support Team assisted in the operationMore from MLive:Washtenaw County sees ‘some increases’ to COVID vaccine supply, but expects delays once eligibility expandsMichigan Medicine enacts visitor restrictions due to rising COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations20% of adults in Jackson are fully vaccinated against COVID-19Health officer leaves Jackson County post as COVID-19 cases rise

Daily Covid-19 Minute: Largest Antibody StudyA major challenge of the pandemic has been determining how many people have been infected with Covid-19. However, thanks to a new study we’re getting a clear sense of how far reaching the virus has been. Researchers at Emory University conducted a national antibody study which was the largest of its kind. By comparison, we were officially reporting just over 9 million infections at the end of October, a drastically lower estimation. That means around 80% of the population needs to have either been vaccinated fully or infected with the virus.

JACKSON, MI – A transgender woman imprisoned at the G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility in Jackson is suing the state prison system after allegedly being raped and sexually violated twice at the all-male facility in early 2020. The Prison Rape Elimination Act was passed by Congress in 2003 to acknowledge and address sexual abuse of prisoners. Corrections staff ignored the plaintiff’s objections and threatened disciplinary segregation if she did not enter her cell, the lawsuit states. The plaintiff reported the incident in the morning and was taken to the prison hospital for treatment. She was moved to a new cell with a different cellmate who, like her first cellmate, was a convicted sex offender, the lawsuit states.

The Justice Department today announced that it has reached a settlement, through a court-supervised settlement agreement, with the State of Michigan and the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) to resolve a sex discrimination lawsuit brought by the United States of America. Title VII is a federal law that prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. The United States’ complaint, filed on June 13, 2016, alleged that the defendants violated Title VII by classifying four job assignments as female-only and by denying female correctional officers job transfers. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) Detroit Area Office by 28 female correctional officers who work or worked at WHV. After unsuccessful conciliation efforts by the EEOC, the charges were referred by the EEOC to the Department of Justice.

Ninety cases of the COVID-19 B.1.1.7 variant have been found during testing of prisoners and staff at the Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in Ionia, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections. Daily testing of all prisoners and staff occurred after an employee at the prison was found to have the variant, a press release said. U.K. COVID-19 variant now confirmed in 45 Michigan cases in 10 countiesThe new variant is thought to be 50% more contagious than the current dominant strain of COVID-19. Because the variant is more easily spread from person to person, that means that for any given case, it will likely infect more people and lead to more spread, state officials have said. However, the variant does not yet appear to be more deadly, and current vaccines appear to be effective in preventing it, state officials say.

IONIA COUNTY, MI -- An employee at an Ionia County prison has tested positive for the more contagious COVID-19 variant strain, triggering more rigorous testing at the prison. The case at Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility is the first in the state’s prison system. Because of the discovery, all prisoners and staff at the facility will be tested for COVID-19 daily instead of weekly. The daily testing also will happen at special “COVID positive” units at Duane Waters Health Center and Macomb Correctional Facility. Several Bellamy Creek prisoners were sent to those facilities after they tested positive for coronavirus, but before the detection of the variant at Bellamy Creek.

click to enlarge Michigan Department of CorrectionsLarry D. SmithA Detroit man who spent more than 26 years in prison for murder was released Thursday after prosecutors said his conviction relied on flimsy evidence.Larry D. Smith was 19 years old when he was convicted of first-degree murder in the shooting death of Kenneth Hayes in 1994. Smith is now 46 years old.During the trial, the sole eyewitness never saw the shooter’s face and was only able describe the gait and body shape of the person who fled the murder scene. While we cannot state that this is an exoneration, we are very certain that the trial process was not just.”Smith’s attorney Mary Owens applauded the work of the Conviction Integrity Unit. "After 26 years of wrongful imprisonment, justice has finally been done, due to the incredible work of the Conviction Integrity Unit," Owens said. "Larry finally has his life back.The case underscores the unreliability of police informants who testify in exchange for favorable treatment.

LAPEER, MI -- A Black corrections officer has sued the Michigan Department of Corrections, alleging he was discriminated against because of his race at its Lapeer facility. Shumpert, of Grand Blanc, began his employment at the Michigan Department of Corrections in September of 2002 and “throughout his employment performed his job well,” the lawsuit states. The lawsuit states that the Michigan Department of Corrections violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which, in part, prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin. • Disparate treatment in days off, meal times and other privileges and rights of employment as compared to employees who are not Black or who have not made complaints of race discrimination. “The amount of controversy exceeds $75,000, exclusive of interest, costs and attorney fees,” the lawsuit states.

COLDWATER, MI — Two women were arrested Tuesday after allegedly shipping drugs and cell phones to an inmate in the Lakeland Correctional Facility in Coldwater. Both women, a 35-year-old Dearborn resident and 33-year-old from Detroit, were lodged at the Branch County Jail and are awaiting arraignment, a news release from the Michigan State Police states. The two women are each being charged with felony conspiracy to commit forgery and felony conspiracy to smuggle contraband into a prison, police said. He has since been transferred to a prison in Ionia and is being charged with felony conspiracy to smuggle contraband into a prison. All three individuals are not being named at this time as they are still awaiting arraignment.

click to enlarge Michigan Department of CorrectionsMichael Thompson was sentenced to up to 60 years in prison. In October, Whitmer signed a "clean slate" package of bills to remove pot-related convictions from the records of up to 234,000 Michigan residents. "Michael Thompson was sentenced on May 31, 1996 to 40-60 years in prison for firearms possession by a felon after selling three pounds of marijuana to an undercover cop. He served 22 years on a sentence that was scheduled for an earliest release date of 2027.McGhee was sentenced on July 1, 2004 to 20-30 years in prison for selling drugs. He served 16 years on a sentence that was scheduled for an earliest release date of 2024.

click to enlarge Shutterstock.comThe Michigan chapter of the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI), has filed a federal class-action lawsuit against the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) for forcing women to remove their hijab for mugshots.The lawsuit represents more than 15 women who are Muslim or members of the Moorish Science Temple of America and were asked to remove their religious headscarves. The images were used for their ID cards and are featured on MDOC's publicly accessible database of inmates.“The stripping of the hijab for a Muslim woman is equivalent of making a non-Muslim woman walk around topless or shirtless in front of men and then publishing them to a website,” CAIR-MI staff attorney, Amy V. Doukoure, told Fox 2 News . “It's embarrassing, it is humiliating, and it is degrading for Muslim women.”Most of the inmates who came forward are housed at the women's Huron Valley Correctional facility in Pittsfield Township.CAIR-MI's executive director Dawud Walid says MDOC's operational procedures for photos is a violation of the inmates' religious beliefs and freedoms, which are protected under federal law.“It is unfortunate and ironic that MDOC, which holds Americans in its custody for legal violations, is not following the law when it comes to reasonably accommodating the religious rights of Muslims,” Walid said in a press release The lawsuit, filed Monday, is not the first CAIR has filed against MDOC for violating Muslim religious rights. Fox 2 reports that since the organization began receiving hijab-related complaints in 2017, they have made attempts to work alongside MDOC and Huron Valley administrators in correcting policies regarding the removal of hijabs for photos.According to Doukoure, MDOC made no effort to address these violations.“It is really important that people understand just because they are incarcerated that doesn't mean they lose their religious liberties,” she said.Fox 2 reached out to MDOC for comment regarding the pending litigation but provided no comment other than they had received it and are in the process of reviewing the claims.

Most of the 35,000 prisoners with the Michigan Department of Corrections are now eligible for $1,200 stimulus checks after a federal court ruled the government can’t withhold the funds from people just because they’re in prison. MDOC sent information to all inmates on Thursday, Oct. 15 on how to access the funds, MDOC spokesman Chris Gautz said. An estimated 150 million Americans received stimulus checks from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act earlier this year. The Internal Revenue Service originally included checks for prisoners until the IRS reversed its stance in May and demanded the money back from those who already received it. “We recommend the use of paper claims, signed by the claimant, as the safest course of action where possible.”

LANSING, Mich. – Michigan has a budget in place for 2021 that passed with overwhelming bipartisan support. The coronavirus originally had the state making dire budget predictions that there would be a more than $1 billion hole to fill. Road funding gets the full $600 million expected and some programs, which were axed in the last budget like Pure Michigan, are being funded again. An item that is being cut at a $12 million saving is the Detroit Re-Entry Center, which does prisoner programming. The Michigan Department of Corrections is also slimming down administration for a $2.5 million saving.

(CBS DETROIT) – The Michigan Department of Corrections Plans to close one of its 29 prisons as the population of a Detroit Detention Center falls to an all-time low. The Detroit Reentry Center on Ryan Road is months away from its final days. The state’s over-all prison population is down 32 percent. “Those who violated parole we would send them to DRC, that was one function of their mission there. Upon closure prisoners who need dialysis will be moved to the woodland correctional facility in Livingston County.

DETROIT – The Michigan Department of Corrections announced Tuesday that it will close its Detroit Reentry Center amid a declining offender population. Set to close in January 2021, the facility opened in 2012 employs 220 people. “The decision to close a facility is always hard, and I realize this will be a difficult time for the staff at DRC,” MDOC Director Heidi Washington said. Michigan’s prison population peaked in March 2007 when it stood at 51,554, however Michigan’s recidivism rate has dropped from nearly 45% to just 26.7% over the last 20 years. The department will attempt to absorb as many staff as possible into the vacancies the MDOC currently has throughout the system.

BRANCH COUNTY, MI – Michigan State Police are investigating an alleged drug smuggling attempt at the Lakeland Correctional Facility in Coldwater. The Michigan Department of Corrections uncovered a plot to smuggle drugs into the prison on Saturday, Sept. 19, according to Michigan State Police. A 33-year-old woman and a 20-year-old man, both from Adrian, were arrested and lodged in the Branch County Jail on multiple felony charges, police said. The case will be turned over to the Branch County Prosecutor’s Office, police said. State police were assisted in the investigation by MDOC, MSP Aviation Unit, MSP K-9, Michigan Department of National Resources and the Branch County Sheriff’s Department K-9 officers.

The imprisoned father of three Michigan boys who went missing in 2010 was reportedly denied parole. John Skelton was charged in 2011 for the wrongful imprisonment of his three sons who went missing from their home in Morenci on Nov. 26, 2010. Andrew, Alexander and Tanner Skelton were 9, 7 and 5 years old, respectively, when they went missing nearly 10 years ago. A group has never been identified or come forward, and John Skelton’s story has changed since his initial claim. According to the family, John Skelton came up for a parole review in July but was denied.

DETROIT – Almost half of the men incarcerated at a western Michigan prison have tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19), according to a newspaper report. Roughly 47%, or 612 of 1,296 prisoners at Muskegon Correctional Facility, have tested positive as of last Thursday, according to the Detroit Free Press. Since March, 4,620 of 37,497 state prisoners have tested positive and 68 prisoners have died. We have conducted multiple rounds of testing at Muskegon, including testing prisoners who previously tested negative yesterday. We have also offered multiple rounds of testing to staff with additional staff testing next week.

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Corrections said it has tested every prisoner in its system for coronavirus (COVID-19). The department had been testing symptomatic prisoners since late March and has done more than 1,000 tests. In mid-April the MDOC started mass testing in several facilities to slow the spread of coronavirus. “We simply could not have achieved this goal, this quickly without the assistance of the Michigan National Guard,” Washington said. “This was an incredible display of partnership, and we are proud to work alongside the professionals in the Michigan Department of Corrections,” said Maj. Gen. Paul Rogers, Adjutant General and Director of the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.

We will perform our due diligence as expeditiously as we can. If there isn't a victim associated with the prisoner's crime, they will be released after the waiting period.We owe this to victims of crime, Worthy said. We urge the MDOC to provide us with a faster way to receive more information. With better cooperation, we may be able to move more quickly.The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office is asking that victims contact the Victims Services Unit. A list of prisoners approved for parole can be found here

DETROIT – Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy is seeking victims of prisoners who will soon be paroled so they can be properly notified. According to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, MDOC began sending letters to the office early last month about paroling prisoners because of the COVID-19 outbreak. In any given month, MDOC paroles just under 700 prisoners a month. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s over 700 and closer to 800. READ: Hundreds of inmates released from Metro Detroit county jailsAt the county jails in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties, officials have been reviewing the cases of inmates who would not be a danger to the public if released.

Wayne County prosecutor seeks victims of inmates who will soon be released from prisonPublished: May 5, 2020, 11:12 pmWayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy is seeking victims of prisoners who will soon be paroled so they can be properly notified.

LANSING, Mich. – Medical specialists from the Michigan National Guard are assisting Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) staff with COVID-19 testing at correctional facilities. May 2, 2020: Michigan coronavirus (COVID-19) cases up to 43,207; Death toll now at 4,020 with 15,659 recoveries reportedBeginning Monday, soldiers will administer COVID-19 tests throughout facilities in the upper peninsula. Testing will begin at the Baraga Correctional Facility and will continue east to Alger Correctional Facility, Marquette Branch Prison, Newberry Correctional Facility, Chippewa Correctional Facility and Kinross Correctional Facility, officials said. “We are very grateful for the support from the National Guard in this effort to continue our testing of prisoners across the state,” said MDOC Director Heidi Washington. Samples collected at the facilities will be transported by MDOC to a lab for testing, officials said.

DETROIT – A transportation officer with the Michigan Department of Corrections died after contracting coronavrius (COVID-19), officials said Wednesday. MORE: What the CDC says you should do if you believe you have coronavirus (COVID-19)How COVID-19 SpreadsPerson-to-person spreadThe virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person. How easily the virus spreadsHow easily a virus spreads from person-to-person can vary. Some viruses are highly contagious (spread easily), like measles, while other viruses do not spread as easily. Prevention & TreatmentThere is currently no vaccine to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

A dispatcher for the Detroit Police Department has died after becoming infected with the coronavirus. The dispatcher was a 38-year-old civilian dispatcher, WXYZ-7 first reported Detroit Police Chief James Craig plans to release more details at an 11 a.m. press conference.Nine Detroit police officers have tested positive for coronavirus as of Monday, Mayor Mike Duggan said at a news conference. More than 280 police officers have been quarantined.Another six city employees also have tested positive for COVID-19, and many more are quarantined, Duggan said.Other law enforcement agencies have been hit with the coronavirus in metro Detroit. From local politics and culture to national news that hits close to home, Metro Times has been keeping Detroit informed for years. If quality journalism is important to you, please consider a donation to Metro Times.

LAPEER, Mich. – Officials with the Lapeer County Health Department announced Sunday an employee at Thumb Correctional Facility has tested positive for COVID-19. How COVID-19 spreadsPerson-to-person spreadThe virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person. How easily the virus spreadsHow easily a virus spreads from person-to-person can vary. Some viruses are highly contagious (spread easily), like measles, while other viruses do not spread as easily. Prevention and treatmentThere is currently no vaccine to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

The Michigan Department of Corrections was notified that an employee at the Jackson County Probation Office had tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Tuesday, March 17. This is the first MDOC employee who has tested positive for COVID-19. The MDOC has been in contact with the individual and the department is proactively working to determine any other employees and probationers that person was in contact with. We are glad to hear our employee is feeling better, said MDOC Director Heidi Washington. The department is making arrangements for continued supervision of the probationers in the county, since the staff will be unable to perform those duties during the quarantine.

The Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) has banned all in-person visitations at state prisons amid the state’s rapidly increasing coronavirus (COVID-19) situation. “This was not a decision we arrived at lightly, as we understand and recognize the importance of family contact with the prison population,” said MDOC Director Heidi Washington. “Our primary concern has to be public safety and reducing the number of people who enter our facilities is a key factor in limiting the potential spread of this illness into our prisoner population.”Update March 12, 2021: Michigan prisons resuming visits for first time in a yearMichigan prisons are taking measures to ensure the safety of their staff, prisoners and the public, officials said. Prisons are conducting screening questions and temperature checks on all employees before their shifts, and cleaning the facilities more frequently, according to officials. AdPrison staff and visitors can sign up for informative alerts from their facility at MDOC’s website here.

FLAT ROCK, Mich. – A Flat Rock family feels victimized and violated after a trusted neighbor was caught using a log to peer through the window of their teenagers’ bathroom, officials said. Family members said Paul Stabnick lives just down the street in their quiet subdivision. They live right next to Flat Rock Community High School and an elementary school. The father of two teenagers said he noticed a log kept showing up under his children’s bathroom window. He put up a trail camera that captured image after image of Stabnick lurking by the window, climbing up and peering inside the bathroom, according to authorities.

DETROIT, Mich. – A Michigan inmate who was mistakenly released after being transferred to Ohio to face drug charges is back behind bars after more than a week on the lam, prison officials said over the weekend. Talleon S. Brazil, 31, was captured at a house in Detroit on Saturday by the Michigan Department of Corrections Absconder Recovery Unit after several days of surveillance, according to a department news release. “We are glad this case came to a quick resolution,” Michigan Department of Corrections Director Heidi Washington said in the release. Michigan officials handed him over to Ohio authorities on Jan. 14 to face drug charges in Scioto County on the condition that he be locked up while in Ohio, then returned to Michigan. Brazil could face new charges for trying to avoid capture following his release in Ohio, the weekend news release said.

iStock/junialA jury has awarded $11.4 million to a black couple who filed a discrimination lawsuit against the Michigan Department of Corrections. Attorney Jon Marko says Lisa Griffey was a probation officer who was racially harassed by white co-workers. Marko says her husband, Cedric Griffey, who was a deputy prison warden, was retaliated against because of his wife's legal challenge. A Genesee County jury found Lisa Griffey was subjected to a hostile work environment and suffered an adverse employment action because of her race. The jury on Monday said Cedric Griffey also suffered.

Workers at the Ionia Correctional Facility blocked inmate access to five stories this year concerning criminal proceedings against a probation officer. (WDIV)LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan Department of Corrections is examining how its mail policy is applied after officers at one prison prevented inmates from reading some stories published by the Lansing State Journal. Workers at the Ionia Correctional Facility blocked inmate access to five stories this year concerning criminal proceedings against a probation officer, prisoners' parole and re-sentencing hearings and a lawsuit filed by state prisoners. The Journal reports the Michigan Press Association has questioned why most of the blocked stories were considered unfit for prisoners' eyes. Department spokesman Chris Gautz says the mail policy is designed to keep prisons safe and MDOC workers' lives private.

DETROIT - Three members of the Almighty Vice Lord Nation gang were indicted in Detroit on charges related to the distribution of marijuana, heroin, cocaine and suboxone in Metro Detroit and inside the Michigan Department of Corrections. Collins was also charged with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The Almighty Vice Lords Nation gang is divided into subgroups known as "branches" and "decks," officials said. The Unknown Vice Lords, Conservative Vice Lords, Traveling Vice Lords, Renegade Vice Lords, Insane Vice Lords, Mafia Insane Vice Lords, Imperial Insane Vice Lords, Executioner Insane Vice Lords, Cicero Insane Vice Lords and 4 Corner Hustler Vice Lords are among the subgroups, according to authorities. Using a communication facility to commit the drug conspiracy offense carries a maximum sentence of 4 years in prison.

JACKSON, Mich. - DTE Energy and the Michigan Department of Corrections are collaborating to offer a tree trim training program for prisoners to fill in-demand positions, according to a news release. The goal of the training program is to offer full-time careers, job experience and skills for citizens returning to life after prison. The companies that DTE use to trim trees have been struggling to find trained workers, according to the news release. DTE and MDOC created the program to help fight the shortage of trained workers while giving employment opportunities to those being released from prison. Prisoners released on parole who have finished the program will be eligible to join the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 17 Union and work with a tree trim supplier.

MICHIGAN – The Michigan Department of Corrections is trying to address concerns about stress and suicide among corrections officers. The Detroit Free Press reports that the agency's director, Heidi Washington, recently announced to a Senate committee that the department hired a licensed mental health professional to serve as its employee wellness program manager. Washington told the senators that the agency wants to increase training to manage stress and reduce the stigma associated with asking for help.