Benzie County Inmate Population Overview
The Benzie County inmate population is held locally at the Benzie County Sheriff's Office Corrections Division. Research found one adult detention facility physically located in the county: Benzie County Jail at the sheriff and law enforcement center in Beulah. The jail houses people arrested by the sheriff, Michigan State Police, Frankfort police, conservation officers, and other agencies operating in Benzie County when local custody is needed. It can include pretrial detainees, short local sentences, trustees, work-release status when approved, and accepted holds for other counties.
Sheriff Kyle Rosa is the elected Benzie County sheriff, and the official law enforcement division page describes the sheriff's patrol, investigation, citation, and arrest functions. Those sheriff functions feed the local jail population before a case moves into court or another custody system.
No separate city jail, regional jail, state prison, federal prison, ICE detention center, or U.S. Marshals contract facility was located inside Benzie County in the official sources reviewed. That fact matters for search work. A person held before trial or on a local sentence is a sheriff/jail question. A person sent to prison after a felony sentence becomes an MDOC OTIS question. Federal and immigration custody use BOP or ICE systems, not the Benzie County jail.
Benzie County Inmate Population Statistics
Official county pages give the jail's rated capacity and history, but they do not publish a live daily population dashboard. The official jail history page reports a maximum capacity of 47. A high-authority Prison Policy Initiative table reported a 2013 average daily population of 39 for the Benzie County Sheriff's Department. Local 2025 reporting on jail medication-assisted treatment described an average of about 20 daily inmates, and local reporting on 2024 sheriff activity cited 580 bookings for that year.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| Rated jail capacity | 47 inmates | Official Benzie County jail history page, reviewed 2026 |
| Average daily population | 39 | Prison Policy Initiative table, 2013 ADP |
| Recent reported daily average | About 20 | Record Patriot MAT report, 2025 |
| Annual bookings | 580 | Record Patriot sheriff activity report, 2024 activity |
| Booking breakdown | 166 felonies, 367 misdemeanors, 47 other-county bookings | Record Patriot sheriff activity report, 2024 activity |
Benzie County Jail Population Trends
The Benzie County inmate population story is unusually well documented through jail history. Early county jails held only a few prisoners. By the late 1970s and 1980s, the old jail had reached capacity, MDOC had found compliance problems, and the county was boarding excess prisoners elsewhere. The current Law Enforcement Center grew out of that capacity and standards problem. It opened after a 1989 millage and a 1990 groundbreaking, with a direct-supervision design and a 47-inmate maximum.
| Year / Period | Population or Capacity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1908-1916 | 1-3 prisoners | Honor-era jail beside the sheriff's home |
| 1959 | 12-inmate capacity | New Beulah jail usually held 3-4 people |
| 1977 | 12-bed jail often full | Official history notes capacity pressure |
| 1988 | Population in the twenties | County boarded excess prisoners and invoked the Jail Overcrowding Act |
| 1990 temporary | 18-person capacity | Basement converted for trustees and work release before current jail |
| Current facility | 47 maximum capacity | Official jail history page |
| 2024 | 580 bookings | Local report said bookings rose 10-20% from 2023 |
Benzie County Jail Capacity
The Benzie County inmate population has to be read against the jail's 47-person maximum capacity. The 2013 ADP figure of 39 would equal about 83 percent of that maximum if compared directly. The recent reported daily average of about 20 would equal about 43 percent, but that figure comes from local reporting rather than an official dashboard. The safer phrasing is that official county sources publish capacity, while current day-to-day population must be confirmed with the jail.
The county's old jail had the clearest overcrowding record. The history page says MDOC found the old jail out of compliance in 1983, the county received a five-year variance, and by 1988 the inmate population had grown into the twenties. Benzie County paid other jails to board excess prisoners and invoked Michigan's Jail Overcrowding Act three times. The current jail was built to address that local compliance problem.
Laws Governing Benzie County Jail Records
Michigan law controls how Benzie County jail records, inspection rules, and public requests work. The sheriff's own FOIA page says citizens have a right to access most public records, subject to exemptions, and that sheriff FOIA requests may be made in writing, by email, by fax, or in person. Jail population numbers, booking records, and photos are not all handled through a single public dashboard, so the legal path often matters more than a web search.
Key Statutes:
MCL 15.231 states Michigan's public policy favoring full information about government affairs and official acts, subject to FOIA limits.
MCL 15.233 gives a person the right to inspect, copy, or receive copies of public records unless an exemption applies.
MCL 15.234 allows permitted FOIA fees for labor, copying, mailing, and related work.
MCL 791.262 requires MDOC supervision and inspection of county jails and lockups.
MCL 801.51 is part of Michigan's County Jail Overcrowding State of Emergency Act.
Benzie County Corrections Division
The official Corrections Division page is the county's best starting point for the jail's role and operating authority. The page is available through the Benzie County Corrections Division.
The screenshot confirms the local source is a corrections division page, not a public roster portal, which matches the research finding that current custody checks require phone, FOIA, VINE, court, or state and federal locator paths.
Search Benzie County Inmate Custody
No official Benzie County public online current-inmate roster, booking report, inmate search form, or mugshot gallery was located on the county or sheriff pages during research. That makes the Benzie County inmate population lookup process different from counties with a live roster. Start with the jail for current local custody. Move to MiCOURT when the question is about charges and hearings. Use MDOC OTIS only when the person is under state corrections jurisdiction.
- Call the sheriff non-emergency line at 231-882-4484 and ask for jail or corrections information.
- Have the person's full legal name, date of birth if known, approximate arrest date, arresting agency, and known case number ready.
- Use Michigan VINE for free custody and case notifications when the person appears in a participating Michigan custody system.
- Search MiCOURT once charges have been filed, because court records are the source for case numbers, hearings, and dispositions.
- Search MDOC OTIS, BOP, or ICE only if the case has moved outside Benzie County jail custody.
Benzie County Inmate Search Fields
The local jail path is not a public search form. It is a phone, counter, FOIA, and cross-system lookup process. Staff may be able to confirm basic custody, visitation, or bond information, but they may limit details under policy, court rules, or safety concerns. FOIA requests should describe the record sought and state that the request is made under FOIA.
| Lookup Path | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official Benzie County jail roster | n/a | n/a | No official public roster or search form was located. |
| Phone lookup details | Verbal | Staff dependent | Use full name, DOB, arrest date, arresting agency, and case number if known. |
| Sheriff FOIA request | Written | Yes | Describe the booking record, photo, incident, or jail record sought. |
| MDOC OTIS | Online form | Last name or offender number | For state prisoners, parolees, probationers, and recent discharges. |
Benzie County Inmate Record Details
Because the county did not publish a sample online jail profile, public pages should not claim that Benzie roster entries show photos, bond, housing, charges, or release dates. Those are request targets, not verified website fields. Local booking records commonly involve identity, booking date, arresting agency, legal authority, charges or holds, property, fingerprints, photographs, and status, but release depends on FOIA, privacy, security, court rules, and whether a record is exempt.
- Booking
- Administrative intake after arrest, including identity, property, search, and record creation.
- Detainer
- A request or hold from another agency that can block release even when local bond is posted.
- Personal recognizance
- Release based on a promise to appear and obey court conditions, without upfront cash.
- Classification
- The jail's security and housing assessment after intake.
Benzie County Jail vs State Prison
Benzie County Jail and MDOC OTIS answer different questions. The jail is the local custody site for arrests and short local custody. OTIS is the statewide correctional locator for people under MDOC jurisdiction, including prisoners, parolees, probationers, and some recent discharges. BOP and ICE are separate again. A person can move from jail to court, then to state prison after sentencing, but the search system changes with each stage.
| Custody Type | Who It Covers | Where to Search |
|---|---|---|
| County jail | Pretrial detainees, local sentences, local holds | Benzie County Jail phone, in person, FOIA, VINE, MiCOURT |
| State corrections | MDOC prisoners, parolees, probationers, recent discharges | MDOC OTIS |
| Federal custody | Sentenced federal inmates from 1982 to present | BOP Inmate Locator |
| Immigration detention | People in ICE custody or CBP custody over the ODLS threshold | ICE Online Detainee Locator |
State Federal and ICE Search
MDOC's OTIS About page explains that OTIS includes public information for Michigan prisoners, parolees, probationers, and people discharged within the public retention period. The BOP locator covers federal inmates, but its release dates can change due to sentence-credit recalculations. ICE ODLS searches by A-number and country or by biographical data. Michigan VINE is useful for custody and case notifications, especially when a family needs notice after a release or transfer.
The MDOC OTIS search screen is shown in the manifest screenshot from the official search page at MDOC OTIS Search.
That statewide screen is relevant after a Benzie County case reaches MDOC supervision, but it should not be treated as a local jail roster for new arrests in Beulah.
Benzie County Detention Facility
The facility map contains one local adult detention facility. The Benzie County Jail is the county jail and sheriff corrections division site. There is no separate Benzie County state prison, federal prison, ICE detention center, city jail, or regional jail in the source set.
- Benzie County Jail - county jail and local detention facility for arrests, pretrial custody, short local sentences, trustees or work release when approved, and accepted other-county holdings.
Benzie County Inmate Population FAQ
How big is the Benzie County inmate population?
The only official fixed number located is the jail's 47-inmate maximum capacity. A 2013 secondary table reported 39 average daily inmates, while a 2025 local report described an average around 20. No official live population dashboard was found.
Can I search the Benzie County inmate population online?
No official county public roster was located. Use the sheriff phone line, in-person contact, FOIA, Michigan VINE, MiCOURT, MDOC OTIS, BOP, or ICE depending on custody type.
Where do court charges appear after booking?
Charges appear in court records after prosecutor review and case filing. Use MiCOURT, the 85th District Court, the 19th Circuit Court, or the County Clerk depending on the case stage.