Michigan Ends 2006 With Record Number of Inmates

LANSING, Mich. — Michigan’s prison system ended 2006 with a record-high number of inmates, according to prison officials.

There were 51,570 inmates incarcerated at state facilities at the end of 2006, an increase over the 49,493 head count in 2005. The previous record high was established in 2002 when there were 50,591 inmates.

The population increase has put a strain on the state’s 50 correctional facilities, many of which have been forced to use recreation areas, office space and storage areas for housing. Low-security facilities that have six-bed units have also been converted to hold one more bed, according to officials.

The boost in the number of inmates can partly be attributed to the three murders committed by a parolee in 2006. Following the arrest of Patrick Selepak for allegedly committing the murders, parole rates in the state dropped from 54 percent to 48 percent, equal to about 725 more inmates behind bars. The number of parolees returned to prison because of violations jumped 12 percent, equal to 3,191 inmates.

The crowded conditions come as Michigan struggles to fund programs after revenues fell $850 million short of projections. Because of the shortfall, officials have been forced to put a plan to fill 212 vacant correctional officer positions on hold. The vacancies are the remainder of 700 correctional officer positions that officials planned to fill in 2006.

The Michigan Department of Corrections has hired more than 1,300 correctional officers during the past four years, but turnover at prisons remains high. At some facilities, three officers must sometimes monitor about 280 inmates.

Michigan has the second-highest incarceration rate in the Midwest and the 11th-highest rate in the country, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.