OTIS - Offender Tracking Information System
For offender information, please utilize the Offender Tracking Information System (OTIS).
Fill in the appropriate boxes where necessary. If you know the MDOC number, it is the only box that you need to fill in. Please remember that OTIS is very sensitive about spelling. Therefore, if you do not know the correct spelling of a name, OTIS will more than likely come back with "0 records matched." Please utilize the "OTIS Help" when necessary. Please also change the Offender Status to ALL prior to your search. Once on the "found" screen, you are able to click on any of the blue highlighted areas for further information. For example, clicking on the offender number will give you a photo if available and also provide sentencing information and more. Clicking on the location will give you the address and phone number of the facility where the prisoner is located, or the parole/probation office where the offender reports. The following information is intended to help you use OTIS and understand how the information is presented and what it means. This documentation will also offer some useful hints about finding information.
THE HISTORY OF ELECTRONIC DATA COLLECTION IN THE MDOC: CMIS and OMNI
The MDOC has been collecting offender data electronically since 1980. The primary system used since that time was known as the Corrections Management Information System (CMIS). The CMIS database is not available online, but data is available through the Michigan Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Requests for the database should be sent to:
FOIA Coordinator
Michigan Department of Corrections
206 E. Michigan Ave.
Grandview Plaza P.O. Box 30003
Lansing, MI 48909
Starting in 1997, the MDOC began to implement a new database, known as the Offender Management Network Information system (OMNI). OMNI has replaced CMIS as well as several other databases within the department. OMNI also includes information about probationers, a group of offenders who are NOT under the jurisdiction of the MDOC, but who are merely supervised by the department. OMNI is also being used to store offenders photographs, something CMIS did not do.
With the evolution of the department's electronic data storage came the desire, both within the department and among important constituencies, especially taxpayers, to put more information online. As a consequence, OTIS was created so that a wide variety of Internet users could have access to the data.
In 2008, the Michigan Legislature allowed removal of offenders from the website after three years had elapsed from the discharge date. 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. OTIS SEARCH RULES 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 wildcard (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. OTIS additionally allows an offender search by scars, marks or tattoos. To utilize this feature, enter a one- 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. WHAT THE HEADINGS MEAN DO NOT RELY ON THIS INFORMATION FOR EMPLOYMENT VERIFICATION, CRIMINAL HISTORY OR PROOF OF IDENTITY 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
OTIS is designed such that users must at a minimum enter either an offender's last name or an offender’s MDOC 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.)
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.
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 and it remains the same for offenders who are about to be re-sentenced.
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. The 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, a camp, the Special Alternative Incarceration Facility, a former Technical Rule Violation center, or the Detroit Reentry Center (DRC) 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 within this category, including: incomplete data on paper transferred to electronic storage or court action.
EARLIEST RELEASE 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, this “ERD” column represents the Supervision Release Date for probationers.
MAXIMUM DISCHARGE 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 declines to parole the offender. The MDOC does not have the legal authority to imprison an offender beyond his or her 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 for 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.
OTIS - CORRECTING AND REMOVING INFORMATION OTIS - 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. Rev (2
OTIS - 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, contact the Michigan State Police.
