Michigan has an incarceration rate of 535 per 100,000 people (including prisons, jails, immigration detention, and juvenile justice facilities), meaning that it locks up a higher percentage of its people than almost any democratic country on earth. Read on to learn more about who is incarcerated in Michigan and why.
53,000 people from Michigan are behind bars
Additionally, the number of people impacted by county and city jails in Michigan is much larger than the graph above would suggest, because people cycle through local jails relatively quickly. Each year, at least 163,000 different people are booked into local jails in Michigan.
Rates of imprisonment have grown dramatically in the last 40 years
Today, Michigan’s incarceration rates stand out internationally
In the U.S., incarceration extends beyond prisons and local jails to include other systems of confinement. The U.S. and state incarceration rates in this graph include people held by these other parts of the justice system, so they may be slightly higher than the commonly reported incarceration rates that only include prisons and jails. Details on the data are available in States of Incarceration: The Global Context. We also have a version of this graph focusing on the incarceration of women.
People of color are overrepresented in prisons and jails
Michigan's criminal justice system is more than just its prisons and jails
Reports and briefings about Michigan's criminal legal system:
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Prisons in Michigan have tablets, but they may be being used to restrict incarcerated people’s access to books and sap them of the little money they have.
People on parole in Michigan can be sent back to prison for "associating" with anyone who has a felony or misdemeanor conviction — even loved ones who are trying to support them
The cost of incarcerating older people is incredibly high, and their risk of reincarceration is incredibly low, yet 15% of people in Michigan prisons are over the age of 55. Why is the state keeping so many older people locked up?
Michigan suspended its $5 medical copays in prisons at the beginning of the pandemic for flu related medical visits — but should eliminate them entirely.
People in Michigan prisons must have an account balance of less than $11 to be eligible for a loan from the prison to purchase basic hygiene products and stamps — money they will have to pay back.