Michigan Corrections office closing Detroit Reentry Center amid falling prison population

DETROIT - The state Corrections Department, citing fewer prisoners and other changes, is closing a Detroit location that houses parole violators and inmates who need dialysis.

The Detroit Reentry Center will close in January. It has 70 people, down from hundreds, the department said Tuesday.

The center employs 220 people.

"We understand and value the hard work and dedication the staff have shown, and it is our hope to find places for them within the department to continue that effort," department director Heidi Washington said.

The state's prison population is below 35,000, down 32% from a peak of 51,500 in 2007. 

The department said people who violate parole for non-violent reasons are not being locked up, a factor in the lower numbers at the Reentry Center. Prisoners who need dialysis will be moved to the Woodland Center Correctional Facility in Livingston County.

The initial budget savings will be $12.3 million, the state said.