Baraga Correctional Facility

The Baraga Correctional Facility is a maximum-security state prison for adult male inmates. There is also a Level I section for minimum-security inmates. This prison opened in 1993 and features eight housing units. One of the housing units is for Level I inmates and the leader dog program, and the other seven are for Level V maximum-security inmates. The inmate capacity at Baraga Correctional Facility is 868.

Four of the Level V housing units are designated as General Population units and three serve as Administrative Segregation. Capacity for the Level V portion of the facility is 616 prisoners. Other buildings house food service, healthcare, prisoner services, maintenance, warehouse, and administration.

Double chain-link fences, interior, non-lethal, electronic stun fence, electronic and microwave detection system, razor-ribbon wire, camera monitoring, and an alert response patrol vehicle make up the perimeter security.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Visiting Hours at Baraga Correctional Facility are as follows:

Level V -Administrative Segregation:

Thursday through Monday        8:30 am - 10:30 am

Level V -General Population:

Thursday through Monday        10:30 am - 2:30 pm

Level I -General Population:

Thursday through Monday        4:00 pm - 8:30 pm

General Visiting Rules

All prisoners must complete a Visitor List form to identify immediate family members and no more than 10 other potential visitors. Those persons the prisoner has placed on his/her visiting list must complete a Visiting Application to request approval to visit. The Visiting Application must be submitted in advance to allow for review of the Application.

INCLUDING A SELF-ADDRESSED-STAMPED ENVELOPE WHEN THE APPLICATION IS RETURNED WILL ENSURE THAT THE PROPOSED VISITOR IS PROVIDED NOTIFICATION OF HIS/HER APPROVAL OR DENIAL TO VISIT.  NO VISITS WILL BE ALLOWED WITHOUT THIS APPROVAL.  

Adult visitors are required to present a valid pictured driver’s license, state identification card, military identification card, passport, or other government-issued identification for verification prior to each visit. 

A maximum of five persons may participate in a visit with a prisoner. Children less than two years of age will not be counted in that number. 

For a complete list of visiting rules at Baraga Correctional Facility, click here.

Dress Code

• Visitors must be fully dressed in clean clothes that do not have holes
• Undergarments must be worn including underpants/panties; adult females must wear a brassiere. 
• Clothing which exposes excessive skin (e.g., abdomen, breast, chest, back, thigh, etc.) is prohibited. This clothing includes, but is not limited to, see-through clothing, tube/halter tops, and shorts or skirts/dresses that are more than 3” above the knee. 
• A visitor who is fourteen years of age or younger must be attired in clothing which covers his/her body from the base of the neck to the top of the knees. T-Shirt and shorts/trousers are acceptable, a sundress is not acceptable. 
• Clothing which exposes undergarments is prohibited. 
• Extreme form-fitting clothing, including but not limited to yoga pants, running tights, jeggings, unitards, etc. may not be worn as outer garments. 
• Clothing which displays words, symbols, gestures, or pictures that may be perceived as obscene or inflammatory are prohibited. 
• Outer garments such as shawls/ponchos/lightweight coats/jackets (including denim and jogging suit jackets), winter coats/jackets, shrugs, vests, headgear, gloves, or outer boots that slip over a shoe are not allowed in the visiting room. Blazers, suit coats, and sweaters are permissible. Note: Hooded garments are prohibited. 
• Visitors are permitted to wear religious clothing and headgear (e.g., Hijab, yarmulke, turban, habit, etc.), into the visiting room; but are subject to search and inspection. It may be necessary for MDOC staff to search/inspect these items at any time during the visiting process. 
• Footwear must be worn at all times. 
• Jewelry worn by visitors will be itemized on entry and on leaving the visiting area. Jewelry is limited to no more than ten pieces. Note: Jewelry which includes an open compartment or space designed to contain photographs, hair, ashes, etc. is prohibited (e.g., lockets, rings, charms, vials, etc.). 

Also prohibited are watches, including electronic wristbands, pendants, eyeglasses, and other similar items containing a camera, GPS, wireless, or electronic functions. 

Visitors who arrive in clothing that does not comply with these standards will not be permitted to visit. An exception may be made if this is the person’s first visit to any MDOC facility (verification in Visitor Tracking necessary); in this case, the person is to be provided a smock and permitted to visit. A notation will be made in Visitor Tracking when a smock is used. 

Personal Property Allowed in the Visiting Room

• Locker key
• Visitor pass
• Identification card

Money for the purchase of food items sold from vending machines located in the visiting room is allowed. No dollar bills are allowed, only change (dollar coins, quarters, dimes and nickels only), with a maximum of $25 per visitor. The maximum allowed for a visiting party of three or more persons is $60.

When an infant is part of the visit you are allowed to bring: Two clear plastic bottles, one pacifier, and one single-layered baby blanket (no quilt or comforter style). A clear, plastic, spill-proof cup “sippy cup” is permitted when a toddler is a member of the visiting party. 

How to Call an Inmate

How to Send Money

You can send money to an inmate at Baraga Correctional Facility via the GTL ConnectNetwork with their Trust Fund service. 

After creating a ConnectNetwork account and selecting Baraga Correctional Facility and your inmate to add to your account, you can deposit money into his Trust Fund (commissary) account at any time. Deposit amounts vary, but the most common denominations are between $10 and $100. All funds appear on the inmate’s account quickly, efficiently, and accurately.

While using this website is the easiest and fastest way to make a Trust Fund deposit, there are several different payment options available. Note: all Trust Fund deposits are final; there are no refunds issued.

Programs For Inmates

Education programs include Adult Basic Education, General Education Development, Employment Readiness and a variety of intuitive courses that are tablet based. Treatment services include, counseling, substance-abuse services, psychotherapy, religious activities, Thinking For a Change, and violence prevention programs.  

Leisure time activities consist of general library, law library, gym and weights. Prisoners are provided on-site routine medical and dental care. Serious and emergency problems are treated via local community providers, the Brooks Medical Center at Marquette Branch Prison and at the Duane L. Waters Health Care in Jackson.

Prisoner programming focuses on changing the prisoners thought processes utilizing cognitive restructuring and behavioral techniques. Prisoners are considered for programming while incarcerated based on their assessed risk and need level and are prioritized by their Earliest Release Date (ERD). 

Prisoners must meet specific criteria to be placed into Core Programs and cannot elect or self-refer for participation. Completion of required programming does not guarantee positive Parole Board action.

Education Programs

Employment Readiness/Pre-Release: Employment readiness programming prior to release. Areas included are prisoner education, vocational education, and job placement.

Academic Classes: These classes help improve basic skills and prepare inmates to take the General Educational Development (GED) certificate. Classes offered include: 

• Adult Basic Education (ABE) and GED
• English as a Second Language (ESL)
• Special Education programming

Career and Technical Education (CTE): CTE programs provide prisoners with specific trades instruction, technical skills, and soft skill competencies critical to finding and maintaining employment. 

Chance for Life (CFL): CFL is a voluntary program that is intended to support workforce entry, job readiness skills, life skills, and behavior modification to provide positive adjustment of prisoners upon their release from prison.

State Correctional Opportunities for Rehabilitation and Education (SCORE)/Prison Build: This program, formerly called Prison Build, allows prisoners to gain valuable work experience producing various items for non-profit organizations and state agencies. 

Core Programs

• Thinking for a Change (T4C)
• Cage Your Rage (CYR)
• Advanced Substance Abuse Treatment (ASAT)
• Substance Abuse Outpatient
• Violence Prevention Program High (VPP High)
• Violence Prevention Program Moderate (VPP Moderate)
• Bridges
• Sex Offender Program (SOP)
• Michigan Sex Offender Program
• Employment Readiness/Pre-Release

Elective Programs

• Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
• Assaultive Offender Program (AOP)
• Chance for Life (CFL)
• Faith and Character Prison
• Family Preservation
• Inside Out Dad
• Narcotics Anonymous (NA)
• Routine Work Assignment (RWA)
• Substance Abuse Education

Baraga Correctional Facility participates in the Leader Dogs for the Blind's prison puppy raising program, which allows inmates to help raise puppies who are then trained to be guide dogs.

Pictures of Baraga Correctional Facility

Careers at Baraga Correctional Facility

If you are interested in a career with the Michigan Department of Corrections at the Baraga Correctional Facility, you can find job listings by clicking here.