July 02, 2025
Lansing, MI - In a new report to the legislature, the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) has announced a recidivism rate of 21.0%, the lowest rate on state record. The rate measures those who are three years from their parole date and records how many individuals have reoffended and returned to prison within that timeframe. The report shows a 79.0% success rate of those paroled in 2021 not returning to prison.
MDOC has undertaken numerous evidence-based programs to continue reducing the state’s recidivism rate including supporting access to vital documents, housing, and recovery resources; job placement assistance; and effective supervision and care while individuals are incarcerated and on parole. The Fiscal Year 2026 Executive Budget Recommendation continues support of these programs with $6.6 million in peer recovery coaches, $2 million for the development of transitional housing, and $750,000 to expand educational programs.
Prison educational programs have been seeing significant success with thousands of graduates since their inception. There are now 14 skilled trades programs and 12 post-secondary education programs operating in correctional facilities across the state, with additional programs expected to be added next year.
“This report shows that when we provide a full circle support system to those reentering our communities, they are less likely to return,” Director Heidi E. Washington said. “I am proud of our dedicated MDOC staff, and appreciate the support of our partners, all of whom help motivate and lift up those we are welcoming back into our communities. With increased support for reentry programing, we are very likely to see the state recidivism rate continue to decline.”
In 2025, the average cost per person incarcerated per annum is more than $50,000. Low recidivism rates not only help to reduce expenditures related to incarceration; they contribute to local Michigan economies as returning citizens join the workforce and make a successful reintegration into communities. Lower incarceration rates can also ease staffing requirements at facilities across the state.
This report connects directly with a recently released MDOC prison population report which showed the lowest prison population since 1991, with 32,778 incarcerated individuals statewide, down from a peak of 51,554 individuals in 2007, illustrating success in rehabilitating offenders.
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