INSIDE MICHIGAN/ A humane public-data project
142,592 · records  ·  520,719 · sentences
VOL. I · NO. 01 · A PUBLIC-DATA PROJECT

People,
not offenders.

Michigan public corrections records describe 142,592 lives behind a difficult legacy web form. Inside Michigan turns that public record into a humane research tool. Every figure you see comes from the public record. Every design choice is ours to make.

Updated 22 April 2026Coverage All 83 Michigan countiesSample 142,592 individuals · 520,719 sentencesPhotos Withheld by default
§ 01DashboardThe numbers at a glance§ 02LookupFind an individual record§ 03ReformThe confrontational view§ 04FlowPopulation flows & reform metrics§ 05MovementsAggregate facility changes§ 06Ask the DataAI over 520,719 sentences§ 07SupportKeep the work going
§ 05 — About this project

A serious public-data project with human defaults.

The source system was built to track. Inside Michigan is built to understand the system and the people inside it, making public data accessible, humane, and useful for reform-minded research.

Design principles

Four rules this site tries to keep
  1. Person before record. Names at the top, numbers below.
  2. Photos withheld by default. You can opt-in globally in Tweaks.
  3. No mugshot grids. Scale is shown through anonymized silhouettes.
  4. AI is a magnifier, not a verdict. It summarizes; it does not judge.

Method and limits

The app is a public-data research layer, not an official government service or legal authority.
Scope

Use the dashboard for aggregate patterns and the lookup tools for individual public records.

Limits

Do not treat the interface as a legal record, eligibility decision, or official source.

Staging safety

Lookup stays noindex and photos stay opt-in while public methodology and aggregate pages are indexable.

Coverage
100%
All 83 Michigan counties
People
142,592
Unique records mirrored
Sentences
520,719
Across decades 1960s–2020s