Not all crimes are prosecuted and not all criminal trials will proceed all the way to a verdict and sentencing. But those that do often result in a confinement sanction designed to punish criminal wrongdoing, deter future crime and rehabilitate offenders.
There are three types of confinements: lock-ups, jails and prisons. Lock-ups are temporary holding cells housed by local police departments, courthouses or jails and funded by local governments. These help local officials manage short-term detentions, often just overnight, that are either required for public safety or ordered by a court. Confinement in a lock-up cannot exceed 72 hours.[86]
Jails are for convicted offenders who receive relatively short sentences. Jails are maintained by county sheriffs’ offices, funded by county commissions and designed to house inmates for up to a year.[a] There are 80 such jails in Michigan.[87] Some counties offer programming for jail inmates to earn their GED diploma or receive vocational or workplace skills programs.[88] Michigan law authorizes county jails to charge inmates fees to help cover the cost of housing them. Jails may charge inmates up to $60 per day, but the daily rate varies by county.[89]
Prisons are for individuals convicted of a crime and sentenced to serve more than a year in confinement. There are 30 prisons in Michigan, overseen by the Michigan Department of Corrections.[90]
[a] MCL § 801.1; MCL § 801.4a; MCL § 51.75; MCL § 791.262(c). Offenses like retail fraud, driving under the influence and the malicious destruction of property would be minor offenses that might result in a short jail stay.