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Staffing Reports

Staffing Reports

The Michigan Department of Corrections has been working to reduce the number of vacancies at facilities across the state. The recruitment and retention of qualified correctional officers is a nationwide concern, with several factors influencing the number of available officers such as population, housing availability, economic development, and childcare affordability. The following data is updated quarterly, at the end of each new Officer Recruit Academy, and details facility vacancy rates, officer hiring, and more. 

Officer recruit and vacancy report data is as of 9/15/2026. Vacancy data is for corrections officer, corrections medical office, and special alternative incarceration positions only.

Three line graphs displaying officer recruits for Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Lower Peninsula, and the total recruits from March 2024 to September 2026.

Officer Recruit Academy

New officers are required to go through an 8-week MDOC Officer Recruit Training Academy. During the academy, recruits learn the fundamentals of working as a corrections officer such as safety procedures, de-escalation techniques, legal compliance, and more.

Officer Recruit School Chart Data
A line graph displaying total recruitment events for Michigan Department of Corrections for the years 2016 to 2026.

Recruitment Events

The MDOC recruitment team hosts open houses and attends recruitment events year-round to get prospective recruits interested in a career in corrections. The following data show how many events have been attended year by year. In 2026 so far, the team has attended 340 events, on track to break the current high from last year.

Recruitment Event Chart Data

Vacancy Rates by Facility

The charts below detail the officer vacancy rates by facility. MDOC has 26 facilities across 19 counties in the state. Of those facilities, roughly 28% have a vacancy rate low enough to be considered stable. Approximately 23% have a vacancy rate of 30% or higher. The overall vacancy rate across all facilities is 16.2%.

 

Rows of bar graphs displaying vacancy rates at each Michigan Department of Corrections facilities.
Several rows of bar graphs displaying vacancies versus total positions by facility for each of Michigan Department of Corrections' facilities.

 

Department Staffing Initiatives

The Michigan Department of Corrections is working on several action items to improve staffing levels and reduce overtime at state facilities. Below are some of the key initiatives the department is focused on:

  • Traveling Units

    The Correctional Facilities Administration is currently researching and collecting data on the viability of permanent traveling units of staff that can be deployed to the most understaffed facilities. These units will provide immediate relief to staff and reduce the amount of required mandatory overtime. A Volunteer Relief Program has currently deployed relief staff several times on a temporary basis to help assist until designated traveling units are put in place.

  • Identifying Recruitment Barriers

    Employment vacancies are impacted by several complex factors outside of the department's exclusive control such as housing availability, child care affordability, and economic opportunity. The department recently contracted with PFM Group Consulting LLC who will give fresh perspective to our staffing challenges. They will be working to collect statewide and regional data so we can partner with the right people to remove barriers for potential recruits and current employees.

  • Targeted Recruitment

    Our recruitment team has been doing great work making it to job fairs across the state, finding new ways to engage recruits, and getting prospective employees interested in a career at the MDOC. They are now adding to their efforts with a targeted recruitment plan which reaches past applicants who have been unsuccessful for similar but different positions, such as parole and probation officers. In addition, the team is working to increase targeted recruitment efforts to potential candidates that have been recently laid off at other companies and organizations. The team has already directly reached out to over 300 potential candidates to inform them of opportunities to become a corrections officer.

     

  • Pay and Bonuses

    With bipartisan support of the legislature, the department has invested over $55 million in recruitment and retention bonuses over the last 3 years. These incentives help to draw in new recruits and encourage them to stay, increasing staffing numbers, and decreasing training costs. Officers have received an increase of over 18% in combined raises since 2019. Our newest recruits will be eligible to make $73,000 per year, before overtime, in as little as three and a half years, and will also have the added value of state benefits such as health and dental care, retirement, and discounts for higher education.