The Montcalm County Inmate Population
The Montcalm County inmate population has two distinct parts. The local jail population is held at the Montcalm County Jail in Stanton, which is operated by the Montcalm County Sheriff's Office. That jail is the local custody point for people booked after county arrests, people awaiting 64B District Court or 8th Circuit Court action, short local sentences, court holds, and work-release-authorized inmates. The county does not publish a current public daily jail count in the official source set reviewed for this build, so the most reliable published local number is the jail's bed capacity.
The second part is the state-prison population inside Montcalm County. Carson City Correctional Facility is operated by the Michigan Department of Corrections, not the county sheriff. It holds male sentenced prisoners in MDOC custody. A person moves into that population only after a state-prison sentence or MDOC placement. That distinction matters because the Montcalm County Jail phone line does not search MDOC prisoners, and the MDOC OTIS locator does not search county jail prisoners.
Montcalm County Inmate Population Statistics
Montcalm County publishes detailed jail capacity history but not a current online jail-population dashboard. The county jail-services page says the current jail opened in 2002 with 119 beds, expanded to 181 beds after a 2003 remodel, and reached 205 beds after a fall 2006 renovation. The same county page reports 20 full-time corrections officers and 4 sergeants. Prisoners of the Census records list a historical local jail count of 173 on December 31, 2013. Those figures should be read as sourced capacity and historical-count data, not a live census.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| Current Montcalm County Jail bed count | 205 beds | Montcalm County Jail Services page, accessed June 17, 2026 |
| Jail staffing | 20 full-time corrections officers and 4 sergeants | Montcalm County Jail Services page |
| Historical local jail count | 173 | Prisoners of the Census, Dec. 31, 2013 |
| Carson City summary capacity | 1,744 | MDOC Carson City page, accessed June 17, 2026 |
| County population estimate | 69,314 | U.S. Census QuickFacts, July 1, 2024 estimate |
Montcalm County Jail Capacity Trends
The clearest Montcalm County inmate population trend is capacity growth at the county jail. The official jail-services page traces the current jail from a 119-bed opening to later additions that brought the bed count to 205. That history helps explain why older sources may use different jail-size figures. It also shows that the county jail population should not be confused with Carson City Correctional Facility, whose MDOC population is far larger and controlled by state prison admissions.
| Year / Date | Capacity or Count | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| March 1, 2002 | 119 beds | Current jail opened |
| 2003 | 181 beds | Adjoining original-jail section remodeled |
| Fall 2006 | 205 beds | Second renovation added 24 beds |
| Dec. 31, 2013 | 173 local jail count | Prisoners of the Census table |
| June 17, 2026 research date | Current ADP not located | County publishes capacity, not a live count dashboard |
Who Makes Up Montcalm County Custody
The county jail population is local and court-driven. It includes people arrested by Montcalm County agencies, people awaiting arraignment or other criminal hearings, people held on local court orders, short-sentence inmates, and approved work-release participants. The research did not locate a county-published breakdown by sex, race, age, pretrial status, charge level, or average length of stay. That gap should not be filled from statewide data. Statewide jail trends may help explain context, but they do not replace a Montcalm County count.
Carson City Correctional Facility has a different inmate population. MDOC identifies it as a state prison for male sentenced prisoners age 18 and older, with Levels I, II, and IV custody. Its East and West sides, housing units, programs, and capacity are state-prison facts. A person listed there is searched through MDOC OTIS, not through the Montcalm County Jail automated phone line.
Laws Governing Montcalm County Jail Records
Michigan law controls which Montcalm County inmate population records are public, which records can be requested, and which items may be withheld. The county sheriff records page uses the Michigan FOIA process for sheriff records that are not posted online. Jail standards are also part of state law, while arrest and booking images are treated as biometric data in Michigan statutes.
Key Statutes:
Michigan FOIA, MCL 15.231 et seq. governs access to public records held by public bodies, subject to exemptions.
MCL 28.241a defines biometric data to include arrest or booking images in covered law-enforcement records.
MCL 791.262 authorizes state jail and lockup standards administered through MDOC rules.
Michigan Chapter 801 contains county-jail provisions, including overcrowding-related sections.
Montcalm County State Prison Population
Carson City Correctional Facility gives Montcalm County a large state-prison footprint. MDOC lists a summary prisoner capacity of 1,744, while the facility narrative separately describes capacity to house 2,526 adult prisoners across DRF-West and DRF-East. Prisoners of the Census lists a historical correctional population of 2,506 for Carson City on June 30, 2012. Those numbers are state-prison figures. They should never be added to the county jail count as if one agency reports both populations.
The MDOC OTIS overview says OTIS includes prisoners, parolees, probationers, and people discharged within three years of supervision discharge. It also says OTIS excludes county jail prisoners, city-lockup prisoners, jail-only sentences, people arrested and convicted but not yet sentenced, and some FOIA-exempt information. That exclusion is central to a correct Montcalm County inmate population search.
How to Search Montcalm County Inmates
Official research did not locate a Montcalm County public online jail roster. The county's own jail-services and bond/court pages point the public to the automated inmate and court-status phone line at 989-831-7592. That line is the first county-level channel for current jail custody and court-date status. The county notes that the system updates based on court actions, and that callers may need to call after 3 pm Monday through Friday if hearing or court status has not updated.
- Call the Montcalm County Jail automated information line at 989-831-7592 for current jail custody and court-date status.
- Use Montcalm County VINE or 800-770-7657 for custody-status notification.
- Search MiCOURT Case Search when the question is about filed charges, hearings, or case status.
- Use the Montcalm County FOIA process for booking sheets, booking photos, incident reports, or jail records not available by phone.
- Use OTIS, BOP, or ICE only when the person may be in state, federal, or immigration custody.
Current Montcalm County Inmate Lookup
A current Montcalm County jail lookup is a channel-based process, not a web-form search. The county phone line handles inmate court date and status. VINE handles custody-status notification. MiCOURT handles public court case records. The sheriff records and county FOIA pages handle requests for underlying sheriff records. This workflow is less convenient than a name-search roster, but it is the workflow supported by the official source set.
| Field or Channel | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| 989-831-7592 automated system | Inmate court date/status, updated based on court action |
| VINE / MCVNN | Custody status and telephone or email notification when status changes |
| MiCOURT | Case number, party lookup, court events, and public criminal case status |
| FOIA request | Booking records, incident reports, booking photos, and other sheriff records subject to exemptions |
| Jail web roster | No official Montcalm County online jail roster was located |
The county Jail Services screenshot source shows why the phone line is important for this county.
The jail page ties capacity, address, and the court-status phone line together, which makes it the main county source for current local custody routing.
Past Montcalm County Inmate Records
Past inmate records require a different path because no official released-inmate display period was found. If the person has left the Montcalm County Jail, the phone line may not answer every historical booking question. MiCOURT may still show the criminal case record, including charge status and hearing history. FOIA is the better route for a booking sheet, booking date, arresting agency, release record, or booking photo when those records are not posted online.
The county FOIA page says requests may be mailed, hand delivered, faxed, or emailed to the county FOIA coordinator. It also warns requesters not to pay until the county notifies them of a charge. A focused request should name the person, approximate booking date, arresting agency if known, and the exact records sought. Broader requests may cost more and take longer to process.
What Montcalm County Inmate Records Show
Because Montcalm County does not publish a located official online jail profile, the public record starts as a set of channels rather than one visible profile. A FOIA request for a jail booking record should ask for the booking sheet, booking photo, charge list, bond sheet, arresting agency, and release record if those items are needed. Court charges should be confirmed in MiCOURT because booking charges and filed charges can differ.
- Booking
- The jail intake process after arrest, including identification and record creation.
- Arraignment
- The first court appearance where charges and bond may be addressed.
- Detainer
- A hold from another agency or jurisdiction that can affect release.
- Classification
- A jail or prison review that sets housing and security placement.
- OTIS
- The MDOC Offender Tracking Information System for state custody and supervision records.
Montcalm County Jail vs State Prison
Montcalm County jail custody and state prison custody solve different search problems. The county jail is for local bookings, local court holds, short sentences, and pretrial custody. Carson City Correctional Facility is for sentenced state prisoners. A person can move from the jail population to the state-prison population after sentencing, but the lookup tool changes at that point.
| Topic | County Jail | State Prison |
|---|---|---|
| Who is held | Pretrial detainees, short local sentences, local holds | Sentenced MDOC prisoners |
| Run by | Montcalm County Sheriff's Office | Michigan Department of Corrections |
| Where to look | 989-831-7592, VINE, FOIA, MiCOURT | MDOC OTIS |
| Local facility | Montcalm County Jail | Carson City Correctional Facility |
State and Federal Inmate Search
State, federal, and immigration custody are not searched through Montcalm County's phone line unless a separate local jail hold exists. Use OTIS for Michigan prisoners, parolees, probationers, and recent supervision discharges. Use the BOP inmate locator for federal sentenced prisoners from 1982 to present. Use ICE ODLS for immigration custody by A-number and country or by biographical data. Federal pretrial custody may involve U.S. Marshals housing in state, local, private, or BOP facilities, so a local absence does not prove release.
The MDOC OTIS search page provides name, number, demographic, status, and marks/scars/tattoos fields for state custody searches.
OTIS is most useful after sentencing or when a case has moved from county jail custody into state supervision.
Montcalm County Detention Facilities
Montcalm County has one primary county jail and one state prison physically located in the county. They serve different populations and use different lookup systems.
- Montcalm County Jail holds local bookings, pretrial detainees, short local sentences, court holds, and work-release-authorized inmates.
- Carson City Correctional Facility holds male sentenced MDOC prisoners in state custody at Levels I, II, and IV.
Montcalm County Inmate Population FAQ
How large is the Montcalm County inmate population?
The county publishes a jail bed count of 205 but no current public daily jail count was located in official sources. Carson City Correctional Facility is a separate state prison with MDOC-published capacity figures.
Can I search Montcalm County inmates online?
No official county web roster was located. Start with the jail phone line, VINE, MiCOURT, and FOIA. Use OTIS for sentenced MDOC custody.
Does OTIS show Montcalm County Jail inmates?
No. MDOC says OTIS does not contain county jail prisoners, city-lockup prisoners, or jail-only sentences.
Where are Montcalm County court charges found?
Use MiCOURT after reading the terms and searching by full name plus year of birth or by case number. New adult criminal matters start in 64B District Court.