An Honest Look at an Overstretched System 10/15/2025
This report provides a summary of notable incidents and operational challenges across several Michigan Department of Corrections facilities during the months of August and September 2025. The documented events reflect ongoing concerns related to staff safety, inmate violence, contraband detection, and facility operations. Each entry highlights specific occurrences that required medical intervention, emergency response, or administrative review, underscoring the volatile and high-risk environment in which corrections staff operate daily.
These accounts serve to inform departmental leadership, oversight bodies, and stakeholders of current conditions and emerging patterns that may warrant further investigation, policy review, or resource allocation.
Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility (IBC)
Year to date prisoner misconducts:
Assault and Battery = 94
Assault with serious injury = 11
Threating behavior = 106
Various Sexual misconduct = 43
Inmate on Inmate violence = 478
8/16/2025- A prisoner who was assaulted became combative with staff leading to eight officers going to the emergency room for exposure to chemical agent and blood and personal injuries sustained in the incident.
8/29/2025- Two prisoners fought during cleanup. When an officer attempted to separate the two prisoners, he was struck in the face.
9/4/2025- An officer started to put wrist restraints onto an intoxicated prisoner, and he began to pull away and tense up and then took a fighting stance. Two additional officers began to restrain the prisoner and on the way to the ground he struck one of the officers in the right eye with his elbow.
Gus Harrison Correctional Facility (ARF)
8/27/2025- Two corrections officers entered a cell to complete a cell search after smelling smoke. Upon completion of the search, one officer began to sweat profusely and reported to the unit nurse to be evaluated. The officer was sent to the local emergency room by ambulance. The other officer was sent to urgent care to be evaluated.
St. Louis Correctional Facility (SLF)
In August 2025, SLF had 11 assaults on staff, 2 staff injuries, 44 prisoners sent to segregation for fighting, 16 for threatening behavior, and 23 for weapons/dangerous contraband. The facility was on lockdown 9 times.