Jail Operations

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. 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. The jail, which was built in 1991, had a design rated capacity of 186 inmates, while the old jail held only 42 prisoners.  A renovation and addition took place in 2004, which created a bigger kitchen area and added 30 beds, bringing the jail capacity to 216.  In 2012, 20 more beds were added allowing for the housing of up to 236 individuals.

Inmate Commissary

Inmates in our facility have access to order various items through our Inmate Commissary. Those without money during incarceration receive only legally mandated hygiene and communication materials for which they will be billed after release. The Inmate Commissary is operated in cooperation with Canteen services Inc, and is funded by sales the Counties portion of the review generated is set aside to defray some of the cost of inmate service provided for the betterment of the residents such as education programs. Luxuries like candy bars and coffee are not given to inmates; however, they may be purchased by those who have money. Other items include health and hygiene, writing and recreational items.

Cost to Inmates

Sentenced inmates at the Clinton County Jail are charged a $35 per day housing fee. Billed after they are released if they do not make arrangements to settle the debt, collection procedures are implemented. Inmates are responsible for paying for many of the cost incurred during incarceration including doctor, dentist, nurse visits and other related medical charges incurred at our facility. The goal of this medical payment and collection system, within the guidelines of the law, is to reduce the burden to the taxpayers.

Inspection Compliance

Since 2000, with the exception of 2013, the County Jail has a 100% compliance inspection from the Michigan Department of Corrections. 

Zero Tolerance

It is the policy of the Office of Clinton County Sheriff to comply with the provisions set forth in the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (PREA). Clinton County has established a "Zero Tolerance" policy for sexual misconduct for incidents involving inmate-on-inmate sexual violence and staff sexual misconduct/harassment towards inmates, regardless of consensual status. Clinton County considers any form of sexual misconduct by staff an abuse of power. Staff will do our best to comply with providing immediate intervention and investigation for any suspected or alleged sexual contact, assault/abuse or harassment upon any inmate under the care and custody of the Clinton County Sheriff's Office.