Alger Correctional Facility Overview
Alger Correctional Facility is operated by the Michigan Department of Corrections. MDOC lists the facility at N6141 Industrial Park Drive in Munising and identifies Douglas Tasson as warden. It opened in 1990 and holds male prisoners age 18 and older. Its published security levels are Level IV and Level II.
This is not the Alger County Jail. A person booked after a new local arrest is normally checked through the jail, the courts, MI-VINE, and FOIA routes first. Alger Correctional Facility is for sentenced prisoners under MDOC jurisdiction. Once someone is in state custody and entered in the MDOC system, the correct public search tool is OTIS, the Offender Tracking Information System.
MDOC describes six housing units at Alger Correctional Facility. Three are Level IV general population units, one is a Level II general population unit, and two are segregation units. One Level IV unit includes a Re-Integration Program, the Level II unit includes a Rescue Dog Training Program, and the segregation units run an Incentives in Segregation Program.
The MDOC facility page is the best source for the prison's operator, warden, address, security level, housing, programs, and medical details. The Alger Correctional Facility page is represented in this captured image from the manifest.
The image supports the MDOC-specific facility discussion. It does not create a county jail roster, and it should not be used to look up recent local arrestees.
Alger Correctional Facility Capacity and Population
The captured MDOC facility page gives the prison's housing structure but does not publish a current rated bed capacity or current facility population count in the research. For that reason, the facility page should avoid stating a bed count unless a later MDOC statistical report is added. The sourced facility-specific facts are the six housing units, Level IV and Level II security, male 18-and-older population, and MDOC operation.
Statewide population context is separate from the facility count. MDOC reported on May 7, 2025 that Michigan's prison population was 32,778 incarcerated individuals at the end of calendar year 2024, down from a 2007 peak of 51,554. That statewide number helps frame state custody, but it is not an Alger Correctional Facility headcount.
How to Look Up a Prisoner at Alger Correctional Facility
Use MDOC OTIS for Alger Correctional Facility prisoners. OTIS covers people currently under MDOC supervision and certain people discharged from supervision within three years. It can include prisoners, parolees, probationers, absconders, escapees, and qualifying recently discharged offenders. It does not cover people who are only in a county jail, people arrested but not yet sentenced, city lockup detainees, or people sentenced only to jail.
- Open the OTIS offender search form.
- Search by MDOC number if known. This is the most precise search key and causes OTIS to ignore other criteria.
- If the MDOC number is not known, search by last name and refine with first name, age, race, sex, or offender status.
- Open the matching profile and check the assigned location, current status, security level, sentence fields, release dates, and photo if available.
- If the person was recently arrested in Alger County and does not appear in OTIS, check Alger County Jail, MiCOURT, or the sentencing court instead.
OTIS help states that an asterisk wildcard may be used with at least three leading letters in the last-name field. It also warns that no action should be taken based only on OTIS without confirmation through MDOC, Michigan State Police ICHAT, or the court file when accuracy matters.
The OTIS search form is the relevant lookup channel for this state prison. The MDOC OTIS offender search is shown in the captured manifest image below.
Use OTIS for MDOC status and assigned location. Use the Alger County Jail phone only when the person may still be in local pre-sentence custody.
Alger Correctional Facility Address and Contact
Use the prison's MDOC contact information for facility questions, visiting applications, and prisoner-related procedures. Use county jail and court contacts only for the local arrest or court case that preceded the prison sentence.
Alger Correctional Facility
N6141 Industrial Park Drive
Munising, MI 49862
906-628-7100
mdoc-alger-public@michigan.gov
Warden Douglas Tasson
Michigan Department of Corrections
State prison agency
Use MDOC for prison custody records.
Visiting Someone at Alger Correctional Facility
Use MDOC prisoner visiting rules, not Alger County Jail rules, for this facility. The captured MDOC facility page lists the general questions and visiting application email as mdoc-alger-public@michigan.gov, but it did not publish a facility-specific visiting schedule in the research. Prison visitors generally need MDOC approval and must follow MDOC scheduling, identification, dress, property, security, and cancellation rules.
| Visit Item | Status | What to Do |
|---|---|---|
| Visitor approval | MDOC approval required | Use MDOC visiting application procedures and the facility email where directed. |
| Facility-specific schedule | Not published on captured page | Check MDOC visiting guidance or call 906-628-7100 before travel. |
| Public jail visits | Not applicable | This is a state prison, not the county jail visitation system. |
| Changes or restrictions | Confirm with MDOC | Security level, housing, discipline, transport, or facility operations can affect visits. |
Mail, Phone, and Money at Alger Correctional Facility
Mail, phones, deposits, and property for Alger Correctional Facility follow MDOC and prison-vendor rules. Do not use the Alger County Sheriff's JailATM link for state prisoners unless MDOC separately directs it, because the JailATM link in the county research belongs to Alger County Jail. For MDOC prisoners, confirm the current prisoner mailing format, deposit vendor, phone provider, property limits, and prohibited items through MDOC before sending anything.
| Service | Provider / Detail | Research Note |
|---|---|---|
| Mail Address | Confirm MDOC prisoner mail format before sending. | Facility address is N6141 Industrial Park Drive, Munising, MI 49862. |
| Phone | Follow MDOC phone rules and vendor instructions. | Facility-specific phone vendor details were not captured. |
| Money Deposit | Use MDOC-approved deposit procedures. | County JailATM is for Alger County Jail, not this prison page. |
| Visiting Applications | mdoc-alger-public@michigan.gov | MDOC lists this email for general questions and visiting applications. |
Admission and Classification at Alger Correctional Facility
State prison admission is different from street-arrest booking. A person arrested in Alger County may begin in the Alger County Jail, appear in District Court for arraignment or preliminary stages, move to Circuit Court in a felony case, and only enter MDOC custody after a prison sentence or other MDOC placement. Once under MDOC jurisdiction, the county jail roster path no longer controls the custody record.
OTIS may show an MDOC number, SID number, photo when available, biographical fields, current status, assigned location, security level, earliest release date, maximum discharge date, aliases, marks, scars, tattoos, and sentence information. Sentence fields can include offense, MCL number, court file number, offense date, county, sentence date, minimum sentence, maximum sentence, and conviction type. Some information may be exempt, delayed, or excluded under Michigan law and OTIS policy.
Programs, Health Care, and Security
MDOC publishes a substantial program list for Alger Correctional Facility. Programs include general library, law library, Adult Basic Education, GED classes, Violence Prevention Programs, Thinking for a Change, Employment Readiness, MIDVP Batterer's Intervention, substance-abuse education and treatment, psychotherapy, outpatient substance-abuse programming, and religious activities. These are prison programs and should not be copied onto the county jail page.
Medical, optical X-ray, and dental care are provided on site. Serious or emergency needs may be treated by local providers, Brooks Medical Center at Marquette Branch Prison, or Duane L. Waters Health Care in Jackson. MDOC's security description includes a buffer fence, double chain-link fences, razor-ribbon wire, electronic detection, an armed patrol vehicle, and gun towers.
The housing structure also supports targeted programs. The Level II unit has a Rescue Dog Training Program. One Level IV general-population unit has a Re-Integration Program. The two segregation units operate an Incentives in Segregation Program. Those details help distinguish Alger Correctional Facility from the nearby county jail and explain why MDOC procedures, rather than sheriff's office procedures, control prisoner access.
Prison Records, Court Records, and Local Case History
OTIS is the public MDOC locator, but it is not the entire criminal court file. For the original Alger County court case, search MiCOURT or contact the appropriate court clerk. For statewide criminal-history information, Michigan State Police ICHAT may be relevant, but MSP states that warrant information and suppressed records are not available through ICHAT.
If a prisoner was sentenced from Alger County, the court record can explain the charge path while OTIS explains the state custody status. The prosecutor's procedure pages show that felony cases begin in District Court with arraignment, probable-cause hearing, and preliminary-examination stages before bindover to Circuit Court. After sentencing to prison, the custody responsibility shifts to MDOC and the person's assigned location may appear in OTIS.
About Alger Correctional Facility
Alger Correctional Facility is one of two detention facilities that matter for Alger County inmate searches, but it serves a different custody stage from the sheriff's jail. Its presence in Munising can confuse searches because both facilities are local by geography. The practical rule is simple: recent arrest, booking, bond, and short-sentence jail questions begin with the county jail; sentenced state custody begins with MDOC and OTIS.
MDOC statewide news also reported a long-term decrease in Michigan prison population, with the 2024 year-end count below the 2007 peak. That statewide trend is useful background for state corrections, but it does not replace facility-specific population data. The captured Alger facility page did not include a current headcount or rated bed number.
Confirm before travel: prison visits require MDOC procedures and can change by housing status, approval, security needs, or facility operations.