Michigan prisons will test a new way to sort inmates by violence risk starting Dec. 1, after assaults on staff rose nationwide

LANSING — The Michigan Department of Corrections will begin testing a new system for deciding which security level each prisoner belongs in on Dec. 1, saying it should do a better job of spotting who is likely to turn violent.

The department said the redesigned classification system should improve its ability to predict an incarcerated person’s risk of future violence by about 30%. It will run first as a pilot at selected men’s prisons. The department has not said which ones.

“Classifying prisoners at the security level that fits their current behaviors and needs keeps everyone safer — the individual, other incarcerated people, and correctional staff,” MDOC Director Heidi E. Washington said in the Oct. 28 announcement.

The department pointed to a national rise in prison violence. From 2019 to 2024, prisons across the United States saw a 77% increase in assaults on staff and a 54% increase in assaults between incarcerated people, according to the Safe Inside Project, which MDOC cited.

Last year MDOC brought in Recidiviz, a nonprofit technology group that works with corrections agencies in 19 states, to help build the new tool. It uses evidence-based and historical data, the department said. Today, the information used to classify prisoners is collected on a set schedule; the new system is meant to allow ongoing reviews using real-time data, so a prisoner’s level can change faster when behavior does, for better or worse.

The tool does not make the decision on its own. Department staff keep final authority over housing and security placements, EUP News reported.

Michigan holds about 32,000 people in its prisons. General population is split into four levels: I, II, IV and V. There is no Level III. A prisoner’s level controls daily movement, how closely he is supervised and what programs he can reach.

Level I has the most freedom and focuses on preparing people to go home. Level II is structured, with an emphasis on education and programming. Level IV brings more supervision and controlled movement. Level V means very restricted movement and close supervision, with programs aimed mainly at violence prevention. Vocational training and college classes are more available at the lower levels, the department said.

The pilot is part of MDOC’s Safe Prison Initiative. Since January the department has announced 870 added high-security beds, more barrier-free rooms and changes to its Protection Units. MDOC said it will judge how the tool performs in the pilot before deciding whether to use it statewide.

Sources:
Michigan Department of Corrections, “New Prisoner Classification System Announced by Michigan Department of Corrections,” Oct. 2026 (pilot date, 30% estimate, Recidiviz, Safe Inside Project figures, 870 beds, security levels), https://www.michigan.gov/corrections/about/newsroom/press-releases/2026/10/29/new-prisoner-classification-system-announced-by-michigan-department-of-corrections
WZZM 13, “Michigan to test new prison classification system aimed at reducing violence,” Oct. 28, 2026 (Washington quote, level descriptions, announcement date), https://www.wzzm13.com/article/news/crime/michigan-to-test-new-prison-classification-system-aimed-reducing-violence/69-3b4a4e42-b685-4073-8404-f231e6563828
EUP News, “Michigan Department of Corrections to Pilot New Data-Driven Security Classification System to Combat Prison Violence,” Oct. 30, 2026 (staff retain final decisions), https://www.eupnews.com/2026/10/michigan-department-of-corrections-to-pilot-new-data-driven-security-classification-system-to-combat-prison-violence/
Photo: Michigan House Republicans (mihousegop), “Michigan 2014 Prison Trades Tour - Handlon Correctional Facility,” Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0, cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Michigan_2014_Prison_Trades_Tour_-_Handlon_Correctional_Facility_(11857064704).jpg

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Tags: Michigan Department of Corrections · Prisons · Public safety · Recidiviz · Corrections officers · Heidi Washington