Michigan Department of Corrections details operations, prison trends and parole process to House Judiciary Committee

Kyle Kaminski, OS administrator and legislative liaison for the Michigan Department of Corrections, told the Michigan House Judiciary Committee that the department’s “primary focus is public safety” and laid out how the agency pursues that goal through prison operations, community supervision and reentry programming.

Kaminski briefed committee members on the department’s scale and budget, staffing and recruitment trends, recent prison population history, and how the state parole board makes decisions. "We touch every county of the state," he said, noting the MDOC operates 26 prisons and more than 100 field offices. Kaminski said the department has about 11,000 employees, roughly half in direct custody roles, and a total annual budget “slightly over $2,000,000,000.” He said staffing consumes more than 72% of MDOC spending.

The department reported current counts of about 32,000 people incarcerated in state prisons, roughly 32,000 on felony probation and about 9,000 on parole — a daily total the MDOC…