March 20, 2026
Lansing, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Corrections has launched the Safe Prisons Initiative to help monitor and improve safety and security inside prison facilities.
Key components of the initiative include providing improved evidence-based prisoner programming to promote positive behavior, reviewing segregation needs and infrastructure availability, implementing technology improvements that will assist officers in day-to-day operations, and conducting targeted training at facilities with increased critical incidents. In addition, the department will be implementing new tactics to improve employee recruitment and retention such as emerging leader development, hiring process enhancements, and improved marketing strategies.
“The department is committed to our core mission of public safety, with the vast majority of day-to-day prison activities being conducted in a safe and compliant way,” said MDOC Director Heidi E. Washington. “Our staff, those we supervise, and the friends and family of both, deserve nothing less than our best when it comes to their well-being and the safety of the ones they love.”
The initiative takes a multifaceted approach to prison safety by identifying projects that can collectively provide positive outcomes for staff, incarcerated individuals, and the community. The initiative identifies five key areas that have an impact on the safety of prisons: prisoner classification and bed space; contraband introduction and technology; prisoner programming; training and staff support; and recruitment and retention.
“The department has been working to collect and analyze critical data that will help the department identify concerning trends and incidents,” said MDOC Correctional Facilities Administration Deputy Director Jeremy Bush. “Through the course of our work we will be continually evaluating our effectiveness while maintaining open communications with our partners and facility staff to help improve operations.”
The Safe Prisons Initiative is an extension of efforts which have already been undertaken by the department to improve safety and security. In the last 12 months, the department has implemented various technologies and policies aimed at reducing contraband. New mail policies and the implementation of package scanners are already seeing promising results to stop the introduction of illicit drugs and contraband materials. In addition, strategic plan initiatives developed by the department in 2023 continue to focus on improving prisoner classification tools and optimizing facility capacity to manage the needs of the prison population.
The Michigan Department of Corrections oversees Michigan’s 26 state prisons which house over 32,000 incarcerated individuals. The department employs over 10,000 staff who operate prisons, parole and probation offices, education and reentry initiatives, factory and skills training, and more.
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