Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By RALPH ANSAMI
MUSKEGON — The Michigan Department of Corrections said Monday the West Shoreline Correctional Facility in Muskegon will close on March 24.
The move is being made to compensate for a “significant decline in the prison population statewide,” the DOC said.
The move means the Ojibway Correctional Facility near Marenisco will remain open.
It was not immediately known whether some of the West Shorelines prison guards may be transferred to the Ojibway facility in Marenisco, which has been experiencing a shortage of employees.
State Rep. Scott Dianda, D-Calumet, said, “With the help of our local communities and stakeholders, I am pleased to hear that the Michigan DOC will not be closing the Ojibway Correctional Facility.
“I recently took a tour of the prison and I was impressed with the corrections officers and staff who run a tight ship. Their tidy operation, along with the support of the community, truly helped to keep the facility open and good-paying jobs right here in Gogebic County,” Dianda said.
“While another community suffers a loss of an employer, the closure of the prison in Marenisco would have been especially devastating for our area,” he added.
West Shoreline employs 174.
MDOC Director Heidi Washington said, “Closures are challenging, but this represents a step in the right direction as we focus on giving offenders the skills they need to be successful in the community so they do not return to prison.”
The DOC began working with employees and their union leadership.
DOC officials said they would attempt to absorb as many staff members as possible into vacancies throughout the system.
MDOC was also prepared to work with the Department of Talent and Economic Development and Michigan Works! agencies across the state to assist with displaced workers.
The DOC said in the past three years, a renewed focus on prisoner education and vocational training, combined with fewer individuals coming to prison and fewer returning to prison upon release, has led to the state’s prison population declining by more than 7 percent.
Earlier this year, Michigan's prison population dropped to below 40,000 for the first time in more than 20 years. It peaked in March 2007, when it stood at 51,554.
Since implementation of Washington’s “Offender Success” model in 2015, the prison population has declined by more than 3,000. At the same time, the state’s recidivism rate has remained near historic lows and is one of the lowest in the country at 29.8 percent.
Since 2005, the DOC has closed and consolidated 26 facilities and camps, resulting in nearly $400 million in budget reductions.
The DOC said West Shoreline’s closing is expected to save taxpayers $18.8 million in the fiscal year 2019 budget.
The last prison closure in Michigan was in September 2016 with the closing of the Pugsley Correctional Facility in Kingsley.
West Shoreline, built in 1987, houses 1,245 secure level I prisoners.
“There was no single determining factor that led to the closure of the facility, as the department weighs a variety of issues when making such a decision. They can include bed space vacancy and staff impact,” Washington said.
