State budget includes study on feasibility of corrections training center

State Rep. Greg Markkanen today said the Michigan Department of Corrections budget approved by the Legislature this week directs the department to consider the former Ojibway Correctional Facility as one of the potential locations for a training academy for corrections officers.

Markkanen, of Hancock, fought for and secured a budget amendment to add the shuttered prison in Gogebic County’s Marenisco Township to the list of locations under consideration.

“The Gogebic County community is still feeling the sting from the Ojibway prison closure. Now, the Department of Corrections is adding insult to injury by letting the facility continue to deteriorate,” Markkanen said. “I’m hopeful this study will open some eyes to the fact this a great opportunity for the state to fulfil its need for a training center while breathing new life into a community it left behind.”

The state currently rents hotel space to train and house new corrections officers.

The budget plan approved by the Legislature on Tuesday directs the department to conduct a study to find a suitable location for a corrections officer training academy. The new academy would need space for classrooms, offices, a gymnasium, a cafeteria, lodging facilities, an outdoor training area and a firearm range. The results of the study, including projected costs for each location, must be reported by April 1.

The plan is now before the governor for consideration.

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