Central Michigan Correctional Facility

Central Michigan Correctional Facility is a state prison for male prisoners that is located in St. Louis, Michigan. It opened in 1990 and was previously known as the Mid-Michigan Correctional Facility and Pine River Correctional Facility until they were consolidated in 2010.

This Level I prison occupies approximately 70 acres of land in the northeast section of St. Louis, in Gratiot County. It consists of separate buildings for administration, food service, education/activity, warehouse/maintenance, prisoner housing, and transportation. The Facility houses 2560 secure Level I prisoners. There are 16 separate housing units contained in eight buildings. All units house 160 prisoners each in a dormitory style setting.

The perimeter security includes a buffer fence, double chain link fences, razor-ribbon wire, electronic detection systems, an armed patrol vehicle, and gun towers.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Visiting Hours at Central Michigan Correctional Facility are based on the inmate’s ID number:

• Monday (odd & even)          2:45 pm – 9:30 pm
• Thursday (even)                   2:45 pm – 9:30 pm
• Friday (odd)                          2:45 pm – 9:30 pm
• Saturday (even)                   9:00 am – 9:00 pm
• Sunday (odd)                       9:00 am – 9:00 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.

A maximum of five persons are allowed to visit with a prisoner at one time. Children less than two years of age will not be counted in that number. 

For a complete list of visiting rules at Central Michigan Correctional Facility, click here. You can also find a complete Family Information Packet by clicking 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, but 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; they 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. 

Personal Property Allowed in the Visiting Room

The following list is all-inclusive: 

• Locker key
• Visitor pass
• Identification card
• Money for vending machines - a maximum amount of $25.00 per visitor or no more than $60 per group visit.
• When an infant is on the visit: 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. 
• Medications and/or medical equipment (e.g., wheelchair, cane, walker, oxygen equipment, prosthesis, etc.) which may be needed by a visitor during a visit are permitted with the approval of the shift commander.
• A service animal which provides service for a disabled visitor is permitted to accompany the visitor while in the visiting room. A service animal is defined as a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability. 
• Photo tickets - Visitors may purchase photo tickets from the lobby vending machine. All photographs of prisoners will be supervised by staff and approved prior to distribution to prisoner or visitor. All photographs will be limited to one prisoner per photograph. 
• Immediate family members may bring legal documents in on a visit for review only with the prisoner. The documents cannot be left with the prisoner nor left at the front desk for the prisoner. These items are subject to search before being taken into the visiting room. 

How to Call an Inmate

How to Send Money

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

After creating a ConnectNetwork account and selecting Central Michigan Correctional Facility, your inmate can be added to your account, and 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

Prisoners are prepared for their release through various programs such as psychological counseling and substance abuse treatment. Offender Success programming includes group sessions of Thinking for a Change, MI-DV (Domestic Violence), Advanced Substance Abuse Treatment, Violence Prevention Program, job preparation workshops, family reunification, and various other programs that are conducted by staff.  

Central Michigan Correctional Facility partners with Central Michigan University to provide prisoners with an opportunity to take a sociology class with current CMU students.  Central Michigan Correctional Facility has three units housing with up to 480 prisoners who have access to MSOP (Michigan Sexual Offender Programming). MSOP provides in-unit and intensive programming with sexual offenders. Groups include psychologist lead sessions as well as self-help groups and individual study programming.  

Two other housing units with up to 320 prisoners are designated for OPT (Outpatient Treatment) for prisoners. OPT provides for the medical needs of prisoners who are challenged with a variety of disorders along with treatment sessions with psychologists.

Prisoners are provided with a variety of educational opportunities including academic and career technical education. Academic programming includes Adult Basic Education (ABE), General Educational Development (GED), English as a Second Language (ESL), Special Education, and Title I.  

Career Technical Education (CTE) opportunities include Horticulture, Employment Readiness and Building Trades (which includes Carpentry, Plumbing/Electrical, and Masonry). CTE courses offer a variety of hands-on opportunities as well as employability soft skills. Students in the Building Trades Carpentry, Plumbing/Electrical and Masonry/Concrete programs may receive National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) certification upon completion of the program. Students in the Employment Readiness program receive Microsoft Digital Literacy certification upon completion of the core program.

Central Michigan Correctional Facility CTE programs include: Building Trades Carpentry, Masonry/Concrete, Plumbing/Electrical, and Horticulture. STF Vocational Programs are encouraged to participate in service learning to allow prisoners to simultaneously learn and give back to the local community. 

The Building Trades students build wall panels, sheds, cabinets, and countertops, as well as various items for local communities. The Horticulture students grow trees, shrubs, flowers, and vegetables utilizing the latest horticultural methods. The program has a strong focus on the science behind the methods and uses composting, Integrated Pest Management, raised bed gardening and other current concepts to keep up with the newest best practices in the Horticulture Industry.   

Central Michigan Correctional Facility Horticulture program is also partnered with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources in a tree growing project through a federally funded grant. The Horticulture program also grows flats of flowers that are donated to the City of St. Louis, City of Alma, and local charitable organizations each spring and grows several hundreds of pounds of vegetables that are donated each year to local food banks.

Prisoners are provided with on-site routine medical and dental care. Serious problems are treated at the department's Duane L. Waters Health Care in Jackson, and emergencies are referred to the local hospital. 

Pictures of Central Michigan Correctional Facility

Careers at Central Michigan Correctional Facility

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