Michigan DOC Rolls Out ‘Safe Prisons Initiative’ Focused on Contraband, Staffing and Programming

• The Michigan Department of Corrections is launching a “Safe Prisons Initiative” aimed at monitoring and strengthening safety and security inside state prisons.
• The initiative centers on five focus areas: inmate classification and bed space; contraband prevention and technology; inmate programming; training and staff support; and recruitment and retention.
• MDOC said recent steps — including new mail policies and package scanners — are already showing early signs of reducing illicit drugs and other contraband.
• Leadership said the effort will rely on data analysis, targeted training at facilities with higher critical-incident activity, and tactics intended to improve hiring and retention.

LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Department of Corrections has launched a “Safe Prisons Initiative” designed to track and improve safety and security across the state prison system.

The department said the initiative will combine data-driven monitoring with operational changes that range from contraband deterrence and technology upgrades to expanded inmate programming and targeted staff training.

MDOC framed the initiative as a coordinated set of projects intended to deliver “positive outcomes for staff, incarcerated individuals, and the community,” while keeping daily operations focused on compliance and public safety.

“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, according to a press release from MDOC.

The initiative’s operational blueprint identifies five areas MDOC said have an outsized effect on institutional safety: inmate classification and bed space; contraband introduction and technology; inmate programming; training and staff support; and recruitment and retention.

On the programming and security side, MDOC said the plan includes strengthening evidence-based programming to promote positive behavior, reviewing segregation needs and infrastructure, implementing technology improvements to support officers’ daily work, and delivering targeted training at facilities seeing higher levels of critical incidents.

MDOC also said it will pursue new recruitment and retention tactics, including emerging-leader development, hiring process enhancements and improved marketing strategies.

“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.

In describing recent progress, MDOC pointed to work already underway to curb contraband. Over the past year, the department said it has rolled out technologies and policy changes — including new mail procedures and package scanners — that are producing early results in stopping illicit drugs and other prohibited items from entering facilities.

MDOC also linked the effort to strategic plan initiatives developed in 2023, including continued work to improve inmate classification tools and optimize facility capacity to better match housing and programming needs.

The agency oversees 26 state prisons housing more than 32,000 incarcerated individuals and employs more than 10,000 staff across prisons, parole and probation, education and reentry, and other functions, the department said.

Shortly after the “Safe Prisons Initiative” was introduced, MDOC also announced its plans to increase the number of high-security Level IV beds at Macomb Correctional Facility and to close a medium-security Level II unit at Chippewa Correctional Facility.

At the Macomb facility, a Level II unit will be converted into approximately 190 Level IV beds, reflecting a growing need for closer supervision and stricter control. Inmates currently in that unit will be relocated to appropriate facilities. At the same time, a Level II unit at the Chippewa facility will be temporarily closed due to decreased demand and ongoing staffing shortages, with affected prisoners also relocated.

The Department says these changes aim to better align bed space with current population needs, improve safety for staff and inmates, reduce overtime and support employee retention.

This article is based on press releases published by the Michigan Department of Corrections on March 20, 2026 and March 25, 2026.