Offender Tracking System – Michigan

Welcome to the Michigan Department of Corrections searchable database, which we call OTIS – the Offender Tracking Information System. This advisory is intended to help you use OTIS, understand how the information is presented and what it means. The advisory will also offer some useful hints about finding information.

OTIS SEARCH RULES:

OTIS is designed such that users must at a minimum enter either an offender’s last name or an offender’s number in order to query the database. (NOTE: An offender’s name is listed as identified at the time of commitment to the MDOC. This name is not necessarily the offender’s legal name.)

If you are searching for parole or probation absconders, the offender’s name and MDOC number fields may be left blank and instead, select the appropriate category under the offender status field to list all offenders of either category.

An asterisk (*) may be used as a special character in the last name field to broaden the search, provided that at least 3 leading characters are also supplied. For example, entering “Smi*” in the last name field will return a results set which will include all last names that begin with the letters “Smi”. If less than 3 characters are entered with a special character (ex: “Sm*”), OTIS will conduct the search using only the leading characters entered (“Sm”), and will likely return no matching records.

Users may also enter additional information to refine the search process. Available search fields include: gender, offender’s age (plus or minus 3 years), race and offender status. Users may enter information in any or none of these fields as desired. Generally, the more information entered, the faster OTIS will return search results. If an offender number is entered, OTIS will ignore any additional search criteria entered and perform the search on offender number alone.

OTIS additionally allows an offender search by scars, marks or tattoos. To utilize this feature, enter a word or two-word phrase in the Scars, Marks or Tattoos field for which you wish OTIS to search. OTIS will perform an exact match text search. For example, if “blue diamond” is entered in this field, OTIS will return only those offenders who have the text “blue diamond” in their identification information. Offenders with the text ‘diamond – blue’ would not be included in the results, as it is not an EXACT match. Special characters are not recognized in the scars, marks or tattoos search.

An offender’s MDOC number is unique. Searching by the number will return information on one prisoner and is the most accurate way to find a particular offender.

The Michigan Legislature allows removal of offenders from the website after three years has elapsed from the discharge date. This holds true even if the offender dies. If an offender resumes supervision with the MDOC, all public records will be available on the website until the three years has again elapsed from the discharge date of the most recent MDOC jurisdiction or supervision date.

WHAT THE HEADINGS MEAN:

Listed below are explanations for each title heading found on the return information about an offender or list of offenders who fit the search criteria. To accommodate as much information as possible, some headings may be abbreviated

DO NOT RELY ON THIS INFORMATION FOR EMPLOYMENT VERIFICATION, CRIMINAL HISTORY OR PROOF OF IDENTITY.

• OFFENDER NUMBER: This number is unique to every offender whose pre-sentence investigation (PSI) is handled by the MDOC (all dispositions in circuit court). The number is generated when the PSI is created or it remains the same for offenders who are about to be re-sentenced.
• LAST NAME/FIRST NAME: An offender’s name as identified at the time of commitment to the MDOC. (NOTE: This name is not necessarily the offender’s legal name. This information may not be accurate. Do not rely on this information as proof of identity.)
• DATE of BIRTH: An offender’s date of birth.
• SEX: An offender’s gender.
• RACE: An offender’s race or ethnicity.
• MCL NUMBER: The number listed for the Michigan Compiled Law (MCL) is for the crime of the controlling sentence (the sentence used to determine when an offender is eligible for parole or discharge) of the most recent conviction. By clicking on the number, users will be taken to an excerpt of the statute.
• LOCATION: An offender’s location or place from which the offender is being supervised. In cases of escapees and absconders, the location is the place where the offender was last being supervised before escape (it does NOT necessarily refer to the place from which the offender escaped or absconded. In fact, very few if any escapes actually take place from a prison).
• STATUS: This column indicates whether an offender is currently a prisoner, parolee, probationer, escapee, or absconder or has discharged from the supervision of the department.
• • OTIS Status Codes:
  • PRISON: The vast majority of offenders with this designation are in a prison. However, some prisoners are also in the Special Alternative Incarceration Facility; are on writ to a county jail; are in another state or the federal government; are housed in a federal prison or county jail; are out on bond; or have escaped.
  • PAROLE: A prisoner may be eligible for parole once the minimum portion of the sentence is satisfied, unless the prisoner is serving a life sentence. Parole is NOT presumed nor is it guaranteed. It must be earned. Release of a prisoner on parole shall be granted solely upon the initiative of the Parole Board. Most parolees live in a residence, but some do not. Generally, parolees are housed in the community and live in other states through the Interstate Compact, to which Michigan belongs.
  • PROB: Circuit court probationers are NOT under the jurisdiction of the Michigan Department of Corrections. They are under county jurisdiction. The department merely supervises these offenders for the county. As such, probationers who abscond from their sentences are subject to apprehension by the county, NOT the state.
  • ESCAPE1: Prisoners who escaped from a prison, camp, the Special Alternative Incarceration Facility, a Technical Rule Violation Center or the Detroit Reentry Center are given this designation. Escapees pose a direct threat to the health, safety and welfare of any person, household or community. To report an escapee, please send an email to CORREMC@MICHIGAN.GOV/
  • ESCAPE2: Prisoners who escaped from a non-secure or non-prison location, such as a former corrections center or who broke their electronic tethers, are given this designation. Escapees pose a direct threat to the health, safety and welfare of any person, household or community. To report an escapee, please send an email to CORREMC@MICHIGAN.GOV.
  • ABSCOND1: Offenders with this designation have absconded from parole. They are being actively sought by the Michigan Department of Corrections. Absconders have eluded their supervision by failing to report. Absconders pose a direct threat to the health, safety and welfare of any person, household or community. To report a parole absconder, please send an email TO ARUOUTSTATE@MICHIGAN.GOV.
  • ABSCOND2: Offenders with this designation have absconded from probation. These offenders are under the jurisdiction of the county that sentenced them. Absconders have eluded their supervision by failing to report. Absconders pose a direct threat to the health, safety and welfare of any person, household or community. Please report any information about probation absconders to the appropriate county sheriff’s office.
  • DISCHRG: An offender who has discharged from their sentence is no longer under the jurisdiction of the Michigan Department of Corrections for that sentence. There are several ways in which offenders discharge from their sentences: discharge while on parole or probation (successful completion of parole or probation); discharge on the maximum (failure to parole from prison before the maximum portion of the sentence is completed); and death (dies before completion of the sentence).
  • UNKNOWN: There are several reasons an offender might appear with this category, including: incomplete data on paper transferred to
• PAROLE BOARD JURISDICTION DATE: This is the prisoner’s earliest release date (ERD). It should not be considered as the definite release date. In fact, the vast majority of prisoners do not have a definite release date, relative to the minimum portions of their sentences. The ERD refers only to that date at which a prisoner is eligible for parole, if all appropriate time off for good behavior is earned and if the prisoner is not serving a life sentence. This date may change if the prisoner accumulates misconducts for violating prison rules. For probationers, the “ ERD ” column represents the supervision release date for probationers.
• MAXIMUM DATE: The date shown represents the potential maximum and assumes that the prisoner receives any available good time or disciplinary credits, relevant to the controlling sentence. A prisoner will be released from prison on this date if the Parole Board declined to parole the offender. The MDOC does not have the legal authority to imprison an offender beyond their maximum date. Several months prior to this date, the Warden of the facility in which the person is housed will determine how much, if any, time for good behavior will be awarded (but only for those offenders who are eligible to receive good time or disciplinary credits). The maximum date could be increased based on the amount of time the Warden does not grant. For probationers, the maximum discharge date is the expiration date of the probation order with the greatest calendar date.
• DATE PAROLED: The date shown represents the date the offender left prison.

CORRECTING AND REMOVING INFORMATION

Correcting Information: The majority of information on the OTIS site is obtained from court records. If you believe information is in error, please contact the sentencing court for clarification. If you believe the information is supervision related (such as absconder status), please contact the appropriate parole/probation office with your concern. The MDOC will correct information on OTIS, if directed by the sentencing court through a court order or through the supervising agent. To verify a person’s identity, please contact the Michigan State Police.

Having Information Removed: The Michigan Legislature requires the MDOC to keep offender information on OTIS for a period of three years after the offender has discharged from MDOC supervision. This holds true even if the offender dies. Information is only removed from OTIS if the conviction is set aside or expunged by the sentencing court or by operation of the law. If an offender resumes supervision with the MDOC, all public records will be available on the website until the three years has again elapsed from the discharge date of the most recent MDOC jurisdiction or supervision date.