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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 child care affordability. The following data is updated quarterly, at the start of each new Officer Recruit Academy, and details facility vacancy rates, officer hiring, and more. 

Officer recruit and vacancy report data is as of 2/10/25. Vacancy data is for corrections officer, corrections medical office, and special alternative incarceration positions only, and does not include students in the January Lower Peninsula Officer Recruit Academy.

Officer Recruit Academy Class Chart, corresponding excel sheet found on page.

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

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 were attended in 2024. The team has had almost 1100 potential recruits attend open house events this year.
Recruitment Event Chart Data
Chart of recruitment events from 2016 to now, excel file on page

Vacancy Rates by Facility

The charts located below detail the officer vacancy rates by facility. MDOC has 26 facilities across 19 counties in the state. Of those facilities, roughly 38% have a staffing rate of less than 10%. Approximately 11.5% have a vacancy rate of 30% or higher, which is 10% less than last quarter. The overall vacancy rate across all facilities is 17%.
Percent of vacancies at MDOC facilities
Total number of vacancies versus the total number of positions in 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:

  • 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.
  • 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.

  • 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.

     

  • 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 $68,500 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.
  • Michigan corrections officer recruit training is considered some of the most comprehensive in the nation consisting of an 8-week academy and 8-week on-the-job training period. However, a current statutory requirement that individuals complete 15 college credit hours in any major to continue work as an officer artificially restricts the number of eligible candidates. House Bill 5912 was introduced in 2024 and would remove this requirement. Unfortunately, the bill did not receive a vote prior to the end of the year. MDOC will be speaking with potential sponsors and building support for the reintroduction of the legislation. Expanding the recruiting base and removing the pressure on new hires to complete these credits are two important elements of the broader recruitment and retention strategy.