Michigan Prisons

Thirty six state senators and 10 state representatives signed letters on June 10 and 11 asking the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) to expand pay raises for starting correction officers to all correction facilities in the state. This comes after MDOC announced that it would increase the starting pay to $10,000 yearly for five corrections facilities in the Upper Peninsula.

Michigan has tried raises, bonuses, and prison safety initiatives, but nothing has moved the needle on corrections officers vacancies. No state has found a lasting solution.

Things are especially dire in the Upper Peninsula, where a quarter of prisoners are housed but nearly three-fourths of staff assaults happen and as many as 1 in 3 positions are open.

The Michigan Association of Ambulance Services says impacted members are in debt, because two prison healthcare companies contracted by the state failed to pay for ambulance rides.

The new report says the St. Louis Correctional Facility is "operating under significant pressure." It comes amid concerns over inadequate staffing.

Jayne Carver is facing four felony counts after allegedly smuggling over 100 grams of controlled substances into

In July, the St. Louis Correctional Facility saw 15 assaults on staff and 25 on prisoners. Under state law, critical incidents must be reported to the legislature within 72 hours. The Department of Corrections has reported around 65 incidents so far this year.

There were 15 assaults on staff and another 25 on prisoners at the St Louis Facility, according to the union's report.

The Michigan Corrections Organization says there are poor conditions at the Chippewa Correctional Facility in the eastern UP.

In Lake County — population 12,000 — a new ICE facility is opening in a shuttered private prison, promising to create hundreds of jobs in the poorest county in the state. Many residents have doubts about whether the jobs will last.