The County Jail is operated by the Sheriff's Office. The mission of the Sheriff's Office in regard to the Jail is to provide for the effective and efficient operation of a secure and humane correctional facility.
Many inmates are County residents, yet a number of the inmates are boarders which are received from the federal, state, and other county governments, which offsets Clinton County's debt and operating cost of the jail. The jail, which was built in 1991, had a design rated capacity of 178 inmates, while the old jail held only 42 prisoners. Since the County was paying other counties to board prisoners and was continually overcrowded, the County Commission in 1990 decided to build a jail which would house additional Clinton County prisoners and allow for growth. A renovation and addition took place in 2004 which created a bigger kitchen area and allows for the housing of up to 220 individuals.
During 2010 the Jail booked in a total of 3,298 individuals. Of that number 2,656 were male and 642 were female. The County Jail provides inmate programs which include religion, substance abuse, anger management, recreation and parenting classes.
For the 8th year in a row (2010) the County Jail has a 100% compliance inspection from both the Michigan Department of Corrections and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.