Central Michigan Correctional Facility Release Meaning
Central Michigan Correctional Facility, known by the MDOC code STF, is a Secure Level I state prison in St. Louis. A person there is under Michigan Department of Corrections authority. The prison is physically in Gratiot County, but that fact does not make the person a Gratiot County jail detainee. The sentencing court can be in another Michigan county, and the Sheriff’s JailTracker does not contain STF prisoners or their release records.
A departure from STF can take several forms. Parole is a physical departure from the secure institution into MDOC community supervision. The person remains in MDOC legal custody and must follow the Parole Board’s order. Maximum discharge ends MDOC jurisdiction for the sentence unless another sentence, warrant, or hold applies. An Assigned Location change from STF to another prison, camp, or correctional setting is movement within the system, not a release.
The public status must be read with its date and sentence context. MDOC defines discharge broadly enough to include successful completion of parole or probation, service of the maximum term without parole, and death before sentence completion. “Discharged” can safely establish that MDOC jurisdiction ended for the shown sentence. It should not be turned automatically into a claim that a living person walked from STF into the community on that date.
| OTIS information | Meaning for STF | Release conclusion |
|---|---|---|
| Assigned Location changes | Another MDOC placement | Transfer, not release |
| Date Paroled | Departure from a secure setting onto parole | Physical release with supervision |
| Discharge Date | End of MDOC jurisdiction in record context | Full state discharge may be shown |
| Earliest Release Date | First parole-jurisdiction point | Not a promised release date |
Search Central Michigan Correctional Facility Records
The official MDOC Offender Tracking Information System, or OTIS, is the public starting point. It covers state prisoners, parolees, probationers, interstate-compact cases, absconders, and recently discharged people under MDOC jurisdiction. It does not cover a person whose only custody was the Gratiot County Jail. An MDOC number is the strongest search key because it identifies one state correctional record.
When the number is unknown, start with the last name. OTIS allows refinements by first name, sex, race, age, status, and exact identifying marks. Choose All or the status most likely to fit instead of limiting the search to active offenders. Then open a result and confirm identity through several fields. A shared name alone is not enough.
- Enter the MDOC number, or search the last name with careful identity refinements.
- Open the matching profile and compare aliases, date of birth, physical traits, photo date, and MDOC or SID number.
- Check Current Status and Assigned Location. STF or another institution means state custody continues.
- Read each sentence row with the sentencing county, court file, offense, Date Paroled, Maximum Discharge Date, and Discharge Date.
- Save the result date and seek MDOC documentation when the public display is not enough for the purpose.
The broader Gratiot County released inmate search helps when it is unclear whether the person was last held by the Sheriff, MDOC, a federal authority, or immigration custody.
Central Michigan Correctional Facility Record Fields
OTIS profiles combine identity, location, sentence, and status information. The official OTIS field guide is important because similar-looking date labels answer different questions. A profile can show an MDOC number, State Identification number, aliases, physical description, identifying marks, photo and photo date, current status, assigned location, sentence rows, sentencing county, court number, offense, statute, and release-related dates.
Date Paroled is the strongest public field for physical departure from Central Michigan Correctional Facility onto parole. Parole still carries MDOC supervision. Maximum Discharge Date is an outer sentence endpoint if parole does not occur earlier, subject to the sentence and applicable credit law. Earliest Release Date is the first point when the Parole Board gains jurisdiction. It is neither an appointment nor a guaranteed walk-out date.
- Parole
- Release from the prison into the community while MDOC supervision continues.
- Discharge
- The end of MDOC jurisdiction for the sentence shown, read with the official context.
- Assigned Location
- The current MDOC placement, which can change through transfer.
- Absconder
- A person who failed to report while under supervision and is being sought.
OTIS normally keeps discharged profiles public for three years after supervision discharge. A later absence is ambiguous. The period may have expired, a conviction may have been set aside, a name may differ, or the person may never have entered MDOC jurisdiction. Direct MDOC and sentencing-court records are the older-case route.
Request Central Michigan Facility Discharge Records
Use MDOC records for a discharge certificate, fuller custody history, or release detail beyond the public OTIS window. Do not send that request to the Gratiot Sheriff merely because STF is located in Gratiot County. Email MDOC-FOIA@michigan.gov or write to the MDOC FOIA Coordinator at P.O. Box 30003, Lansing, MI 48909. The records telephone is 517-335-4194.
A focused request should give the person’s full name, MDOC number, date of birth, relevant sentence or court when known, and the time range. Ask for existing records such as the discharge certificate, custody and release history, Date Paroled, maximum-discharge information, and a releasable identification photo with its image date. The agency may withhold or redact protected parts, and it need not create a new explanation or timeline that does not already exist.
MDOC FOIA Coordinator
P.O. Box 30003
Lansing, MI 48909
Email: MDOC-FOIA@michigan.gov
Phone: 517-335-4194
The sentencing court is a separate source. Its judgment identifies the sentence and legal terms, while MDOC records establish custody administration, parole, and discharge. If an OTIS field appears wrong because the judgment was changed, start with the sentencing court. For a supervision issue, contact the field office shown in the offender profile.
Note: A county FOIA request cannot produce an MDOC discharge certificate, and an MDOC request is not the route to a Gratiot jail booking record.
Central Michigan Correctional Facility Release Contact
The official Central Michigan Correctional Facility page lists the institution at 320 Hubbard in St. Louis and gives 989-681-6668 as the telephone number. Its public email is mdoc-centralmichigan-public@michigan.gov. Facility staff can route institution-specific questions, but OTIS and MDOC records remain the correct public release and discharge sources.
Central Michigan Correctional Facility
320 Hubbard
St. Louis, MI
Phone: 989-681-6668
Email: mdoc-centralmichigan-public@michigan.gov
A caller should identify the record issue clearly. Ask whether the question concerns current location, an institutional transfer, parole status, or a historic discharge record. Do not ask the Gratiot County Jail to confirm an STF release. Likewise, do not treat the prison’s public contact line as a substitute for a formal record request when a discharge certificate or custody history is needed.
Central Michigan Correctional Facility Release Scale
MDOC reports that Central Michigan Correctional Facility opened in 1990. It is a Secure Level I men’s prison with 16 dormitory-style residential units and capacity for 2,560 prisoners. Level I describes an MDOC security classification. It does not mean that every prisoner has the same sentence, parole eligibility, or discharge path.
Those figures describe the institution, not a release schedule. Michigan does not apply one simple percentage to every prison sentence. Parole jurisdiction, truth-in-sentencing limits, sentence terms, Board action, other sentences, and holds can all affect the actual path. An Earliest Release Date is only a threshold for parole review jurisdiction, while the person-specific OTIS record shows the live public status.
Central Michigan Facility Parole Release Checks
When OTIS shows a Date Paroled, the person has physically left the institution but remains under MDOC Field Operations Administration control. The profile may identify a supervision location or office. Contact that office when current status must be confirmed. The Michigan Parole Board decides parole under the governing sentence and statutory framework; it is not a same-day release scheduling desk.
MI-VINE supplies another state notification tier. General state-prison release notices can help track a custody change, while direct crime victims can use the separate MDOC Crime Victim Notification Unit for expanded parole information. A notice should be matched back to the OTIS identity and agency. Notification is time-sensitive corroboration, not a historic discharge certificate.
| Question | Best source | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Did the prisoner leave STF on parole? | OTIS Date Paroled and status | Parole is not full discharge |
| Where is supervision based? | OTIS location and MDOC field office | Office assignment can change |
| Has MDOC jurisdiction ended? | Discharge status and certificate | Read the reason and sentence context |
Central Michigan Correctional Facility Release Geography
Gratiot’s facility mix makes agency labels essential. The Sheriff operates a 70-bed jail in Ithaca, while MDOC operates Central Michigan Correctional Facility and St. Louis Correctional Facility in St. Louis. The prisons’ size and location can cause a searcher to assume that every person incarcerated within the county has a Gratiot court or jail record. That assumption fails for state prisoners sentenced across Michigan.
The custody trail should follow the operator. Use OTIS and MDOC records for STF. Use Sheriff records only if the person had a separate Gratiot County Jail booking. If an OTIS location changes to St. Louis Correctional Facility or another prison, state custody continues. If OTIS shows parole, follow the supervising office. If it shows a contextual discharge, obtain MDOC documentation when older or authoritative detail matters.
This county-versus-state distinction is the most useful local safeguard. It ties each release claim to the agency that actually held the person and prevents a geographic match from becoming a false custody conclusion.