What Jackson Prison Looks Like Now
There are currently seven jails in Jackson County MI, serving a population of 158,989 people in an area of 702 square miles. That is 1 jail or prison per 22,712 people or 1 jail or prison per 100 square miles. This ranks Jackson 6th out of 83 counties in having the most jails and prisons per square mile. The reason for the square mile expansion of the Jackson prison system was the 1988 separation of SPSM into four distinct prisons: the Charles E. Egeler Reception and Guidance Center (RGC), the Cooper Street Correctional Facility (JCS), G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility (JCF), and the Parnall Correctional Facility (SMT).
Aerial view of the Charles E. Egeler Reception & Guidance Center.
The Charles E. Egeler Reception and Guidance Center (RGC) is the quarantine facility responsible for the intake processing of all male offenders who are adjudicated adults sentenced to a term of incarceration with the Michigan Department of Corrections. All prisoners with new commitments or parole violators are received at the RGC in order to be assessed, screened, and classified prior to their placement in general population prisons throughout the agency. All prisoners receive psychological, medical, educational, and security classification evaluations upon their arrival to the RGC so they can be placed in one of the three other facilities that make up the Jackson prison system. The perimeter of the RGC is lined with a double chain linked fence as well as a non-lethal stun fence and concertina wire.
Inmates at Cooper Street Correctional Facility working with Michigan State University students to learn about restorative practices.
The Cooper Street Correctional Facility (JCS) was the former Michigan Parole Camp, located across the street from the old SPSM. It was expanded in both security and capacity to make the facility a Secure Level I prison, the lowest security level for penitentiaries, holding 1,752 beds in July 1997. The JCS also serves as a release facility for prisoners who are about to parole, discharge, or transfer to a community center placement. Academic programming and religious organizations are offered at the JCS. The Special Alternative Incarceration (SAI) is also an option at the JCS. SAI began in 1988 as an alternative to prison for male probationers convicted of certain crimes and selected by the courts. The 90-day intensive, paramilitary discipline program focuses on changing negative behavior into socially acceptable behavior and breaking down streetwise attitudes so that staff can help teach positive values and attitudes. The JCS is another Secure Level I facility whose perimeter is lined with two high chain-linked fences, rolls of razor ribbon wire, a perimeter detection scythe, and an armed perimeter security vehicle.
Image of the G. Rober Cotton Correctional Facility (JCF)
The G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility (JCF) is a multi-level prison located on 114 acres in Jackson County. Its multi levels make the JCF a Secure level I, II, and IV facility in totality. There are six pole barn housing buildings, eleven brick housing buildings, an administration building, educational building, two food serving buildings, healthcare and maintenance buildings, Michigan State Industries Factories, and the Michigan Braille Transcribing Fund, all located on prison grounds. Since there are varying security levels, the perimeter of the JCF is heavily fortified. It is surrounded by three 12-foot fences, rolls of razor ribbon wire, two perimeter towers, an electronic detection system, patrol road, and surveillance camera systems throughout the entire facility.
Aerial image of Parnall Correctional Facility in Jackson, which has recently come under fire for poisoning inmates through prolonged exposure to emissions from human feces.
Finally, the Parnall Correctional Facility (SMT), opened in 1926 as a Secure Level I prison, houses the minimum-security section of the former SPSM. In addition to 21 other buildings on prison grounds, the five housing units hold nearly 1,700 adult male prisoners as young as 18 years old. The buildings are made of weatherized poles with sealed concrete slab flooring and plasterboard covering all walls as well as bricked structures made of mortar, steel, and glass. These materials may have been produced by Michigan State Industries and therefore by the inmates themselves. This ironic reality is likely considering that all inmates at SMT are required to work unless they are prohibited from doing so for health reasons. In addition to providing a source of cheap labor, the SMT serves as an in-reach site for the entire state of Michigan to parole returning citizens to all 83 counties within the state, preparing and readying prisoners for a successful transition to their communities. With this vision in mind, there is a strong emphasis at the SMT on achieving a GED as per Michigan law which requires prisoners achieve their GED prior to paroling. The SMT is lined with a double chain linked fence with sensor alarms, concertina wire, security cameras, and a response vehicle.
Sources:
"Charles E. Egeler Reception & Guidance Center (RBC)." Michigan Department of Corrections. Accessed December 22, 2022. https://www.michigan.gov/corrections/prisons/charles-e-egeler-reception-and-guidance-center.
"Charles E. Egeler Reception & Guidance Center." Prison Insight. Accessed December 22, 2022. https://prisoninsight.com/correctional-facilities/state/michigan/charles-egeler-reception-and-guidance-center/.
"Cooper Street Correctional Facility (JCS) with Special Alternative Incarceration (SAI)." Michigan Department of Corrections. Accessed December 22, 2022. https://www.michigan.gov/corrections/prisons/cooper-street-correctional-facility.
"G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility (JCF)." Michigan Department of Corrections. Accessed December 22, 2022. https://www.michigan.gov/corrections/prisons/g-robert-cotton-correctional-facility.
"Jails and Prisons in Jackson County, Michigan." CountyOffice.org. Accessed December 22, 2022. https://www.countyoffice.org/mi-jackson-county-jails-prisons/.
"Parnall Correctional Facility (SMT)" Michigan Department of Corrections. Accessed December 22, 2022. https://www.michigan.gov/corrections/prisons/parnall-correctional-facility.
Tsolkas, Panagioti. "Sewage plagued Michigan prison, despite repeated complaints." Prison Ecology Project. Published May 23, 2017. https://nationinside.org/campaign/prison-ecology-project/posts/sewage-plagued-michigan-prison-despite-repeated-complaints-2/.
Wachtel, Joshua. "Transforming corrections from the inside out." International Institute for Restorative Practices. Published January 23, 2017. https://www.iirp.edu/news/transforming-corrections-from-the-inside-out.