Oaks Correctional Facility

The Oaks Correctional Facility is a Level II/IV Michigan state prison for male inmates that is located in Manistee, Michigan. It is comprised of eleven main buildings containing approximately 262,673 square feet of floor space, and can house up to 1,108 inmates.

Prisoners reside in seven main buildings that include one segregation unit, five general population housing units, two Level II units, and three Level IV units. Two of the level IV units are set up as an ALTERNATIVE to SEGREGATION (START Program). Prisoners who are diagnosed with a serious mental illness are placed in one of these units in lieu of segregation and they are provided an opportunity to progress through this START program.  

The mission of the START program is, “To provide a secure, general population alternative to administrative segregation while providing programming and other structured and unstructured out of cell activities based upon the prisoner’s positive adjustment, with the goal of reintegration into traditional general population,” and there is one specialized housing unit that houses prisoners whose protections needs cannot be met in a traditional general population setting and do not require placement in administrative segregation based on their conduct.

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 Oaks Correctional Facility are as follows:

Housing Unit                                            Visiting Day                               Visiting Hours

Level 2: General Population                   Sunday                                       8:30am to 8:30pm

Level 2: General Population                   Monday & Friday                      2:30pm to 8:30pm

Level 2: General Population                   State Holidays                          2:30pm to 4:30pm

Level 4: General Population                   Thursday & Saturday               2:30pm to 8:30pm

Level 4: General Population                   State Holidays                          5:30pm to 8:30pm

START Unit 3 B Lower only                     Thursday & Saturday              2:30pm to 8:30pm

START Unit 3 B Lower only                     State Holidays                         5:30pm to 8:30pm

Protective Custody                                  Thursday & Saturday               8:30am to 1:30pm

Protective Custody                                 State Holidays                           11:30am to 1:30pm

Segregation                                             Monday & Friday                       8:30am to 1:30pm

Segregation                                             State Holidays                           8:30am to 10:30am

START Unit 4/3 A/B (upper)                 Tuesday                                      9:30am to 12:30pm

START Unit 4/3 A/B (upper)                  State Holidays                         8:30am to 10:30am

PLEASE NOTE: Visits start processing at 8:30 AM. 

NO VISITS are processed from 1:45 PM – 2:15 PM OR while facility count is taken.

General Visiting Rules

Before you can visit an inmate at Oaks Correctional Facility, you must first complete a Visiting Application to request approval. You must submit the Visiting Application in advance of your visit to allow for review of the Application. Your inmate must also place you on the visitor list.

Be prepared to be searched by officers when you arrive for your visit. Any visitor who fails to clear the metal detector after two attempts will be screened by use of a handheld metal detector. The facility will also use the black light hand marking system for visitors. The black light will be used to check the hand marking on exit from the visiting room. 

A maximum of five people are allowed to visit with a prisoner at one time. Children under the age of two will not be counted in that number. 

Visiting Processing: Visitors may arrive up to 30 minutes prior to visiting hours but will not be processed until visiting hours begin. Visitors may use the restroom and store their personal items in the visitor lockers during this time. Visitors must comply with dress codes and remove prohibited personal items before entering the gates.  

Visitor Lockers: Visitors may retrieve a token from the front desk to obtain visitor locker keys for storing personal items in the lockers. Cell phones, cameras, and other recording devices are not allowed inside our correctional facilities and should stay locked in your vehicle. Other personal items, such as a purse, wallet, or car-keys, can be secured in a locker.  

Vending Machine Type: Change only is required to purchase from the vending machines. No cards or paper money are allowed.

Photo Tickets: Visitors may purchase photo tickets from the front lobby and visiting room vending machines. These photos may be taken home by the visitor or remain with the prisoner.  Prisoners may also purchase photo tickets through the Prisoner Store, these tickets may be brought to the visiting room on visits.

All photographs taken of prisoners will be supervised by staff and approved by staff prior to distribution to prisoner or visitor.

A detailed list of visiting rules at Oaks Correctional Facility can be found by clicking here. You can also find a complete Family Information Packet by clicking here.

Personal Property Allowed in the Visiting Room

You are allowed to bring the following items into the visiting room:

• 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.
• For visitors with infants: 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 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. 
• 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. 

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 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. 
• Visitors 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 not allowed. 
• 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 into the visiting room, but they are subject to search and inspection.
• Footwear is required. 
• 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.

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

All inmate mail sent to the Oaks Correctional Facility must include the address of the facility as well as the offender’s name and MDOC number. If you do not know this information, you can search the OTIS Database located on the MDOC’s website (www.michigan.gov/mdoc).

Prisoners may receive publications ordered by members of the public from the following Internet vendors, provided the publication is not used and is sent directly to the prisoner from the Internet vendor:

• Amazon.com
• BarnesandNoble.com
• EdwardRHamilton.com and HamiltonBooks.com
• prisonlegalnews.org/humanrightsdefensecenter.org/action/publishing/
• Schulerbooks.com
• Walmart.com

FFP Program

The FFP Program is an approved customized package program that allows loved ones to send authorized items to inmates.The spend limit is $100, not including tax and shipping, per FFP order placed. Only one FFP order is allowed per prisoner per quarter (i.e., Jan-Mar; Apr-Jun; Jul-Sep; Oct-Dec). 

For additional information, please visit the FFP website at www.michiganpackages.com.

How to Call an Inmate

How to Send Money

You can send money to an inmate at Oaks Correctional Facility via the GTL ConnectNetwork by using their Trust Fund service. 

You must create a ConnectNetwork account and then select Oaks Correctional Facility and your inmate before you can deposit money into the Trust Fund (commissary) account.

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

Oaks Correctional Facility has three full time academic staff members, one full time school secretary and a school principal who is shared with Muskegon and Brooks Correctional facilities. 

Academic programs offered at Oaks Correctional include Adult Basic Education and General Education Development completion (GED). Employment Readiness Programming includes digital literacy and financial literacy classes, as well as Work Keys testing and Career Scope testing with vocational counseling and qualification for state-wide Career Tech Education. 

An employment counselor assists inmates with obtaining vital documents, transcripts, licenses, certifications and offers resume writing workshops. Reentry Programming is offered in the form of Violence Prevention Programming (VPP), Thinking for Change, and Substance Abuse Education – Phase 1 and 2. Leisure activities include participation in athletics, religious services, along with Legal and general library services. 

In addition to traditional programming, the Oaks was also chosen by the Leader Dog for the Blind organization to train dogs for their program. Prisoners are screened and are provided training to deliver this training program to puppies received at the facility. 

Once the dog has completed their initial phase of the training at the prison, they are then graduated to the next level of training if they pass testing. Dogs that are not chosen to continue with Leader Dogs for the Blind are re-purposed to other specialized training centers. Some become companion dogs for Veterans with PTSD, some are chosen as drug sniffing or bomb sniffing dogs. 

Mental health services are provided by a combination of MDOC staff and psychiatric services provided by a private contractor (Corizon Health). An Outpatient Mental Health Team (OPMHT) manages prisoners requiring mental health services. Mental Health Services (MHS) provides case management/ medication services to prisoners with a serious mental illness/ severe mental disorder.  

Their team is comprised of a Unit Chief (Psychologist), five staff Psychologists and one Psychiatrist (Corizon Health), and a Unit Secretary. MHS also provides programming to prisoners participating in the START program while housed in these two specialized housing units. START programming consists of 32 sessions (2hrs/week for 16 weeks) of Solution Focused, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).

Pictures of Oaks Correctional Facility

Careers at Oaks Correctional Facility