LANSING, MI (AP)-- The Michigan Department of Corrections is failing to adequately document how it determines which prisons are selected for closure, according to a recent audit report.
The Lansing State Journal details that auditors determined in a Dec. 28 report the department failed to show how collecting information on the facilities' age, condition, economic impact and operational costs plays a role in a prison being closed.
The recent audit was a review of auditors' 2012 finding the department did not evaluate costs of facilities, including some it had closed, and did not keep sufficient documentation supporting the factors weighed by department leaders who decided which prisons should be closed or consolidated.
Marenisco Township officials sued MDOC for closing the Ojibway Correctional Facility in Gogebic County, saying the state didn’t consider the economic ramifications. Officials are appealing a judge’s decision to dismiss the lawsuit.
MDOC closed three prisons from 2016-2018. MDOC spokesman Chris Gautz says there is no single factor determining which prisons are shuttered.
