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Michigan Prisons Will Test AI That Predicts Violence Risk
Michigan prison classification will change in a pilot starting Dec. 1, when the state Department of Corrections tests Recidiviz software that Futurism calls AI. The department says it should improve violence risk prediction by about 30 percent, but it declined to say whether the tool uses AI. It has not named the facilities, the cost or how it measured that figure.
A software prediction of violence risk could soon help decide where a Michigan prisoner is housed, how much freedom of movement he has and how closely he is watched. Starting Dec. 1, the Michigan Department of Corrections will test new software for Michigan prison classification, according to EUP News and WZZM 13. The pilot covers select men’s facilities that the department has declined to name. Recidiviz, a nonprofit that began as a project at Google, according to Futurism and Auth0, supplies the software and now works with corrections agencies in 19 states.
The department says the system will replace scheduled reviews with ongoing, real-time ones. It says the change should improve violence risk prediction by about 30 percent, though it has not published a baseline or a method for that number.
Futurism calls the platform AI-integrated and says it predicts future crimes. The department’s own description is narrower: a tool that helps set each prisoner’s housing level. It declined to say whether the tool uses AI and referred that question to Recidiviz, according to Mid-Michigan NOW.
What the Michigan Prison Classification Pilot Covers
Classification decides a prisoner’s security level, and with it housing, programming and who shares a unit. Fox 2 Detroit reports four levels, numbered 1, 2, 4 and 5, running from the most movement and programming to the most restricted movement and close supervision. Futurism describes five housing levels, so the count differs by outlet. Until now, a committee of staff appointed by each facility’s warden screened prisoners, according to Futurism. The department supervises about 32,000 people. Director Heidi E. Washington said that classifying prisoners at the level that fits their current behaviors and needs keeps everyone safer, according to WZZM 13.
The department’s release says the software will be used to “optimize placement of incarcerated individuals,” according to Futurism. Under the pilot, the tool replaces scheduled reviews with continuous ones. EUP News describes it as a partially automated tool and, citing state officials, reports that staff keep final authority. Mid-Michigan NOW says its article does not mention human review. The reports therefore differ on how much a person decides.
Why the Michigan Prison Classification Data Needs Context
The headline on Futurism says prisons are using AI to predict when incarcerated people will commit future crimes. The department’s announcement describes something different. It concerns violence risk inside prisons and the security level at which a prisoner is held, not crimes after release.
The department points to rising violence. The Safe Inside Project, cited by WZZM 13, reports national increases of 77 percent in assaults on staff and 54 percent in assaults between prisoners from 2019 to 2024. Michigan also plans 870 high-security beds under its Safe Prison Initiative, according to the same report.
How Michigan Prison Classification Differs From Louisiana’s Parole Tool
Coverage of the pilot has drawn comparisons to Louisiana, so the difference matters. Louisiana’s TIGER algorithm now determines parole eligibility, and prisoners it rates moderate or high risk cannot go before the board, according to ProPublica. Michigan’s pilot, as announced, sorts prisoners by housing level. None of the coverage cited here says the Michigan tool will influence release decisions.
The Louisiana record still shows what can go wrong. ProPublica reported in April 2025 that parole releases there fell from 32 a month in 2023 to six a month after the law took effect in August 2024. It described Calvin Alexander, 70, nearly blind and in a wheelchair, whom the algorithm rated a moderate risk.
The lesson for Michigan is a question, not a finding: what the tool measures, and who can override its score.
What Corrections Officers Say About the Rollout
Byron Osborn, president of the Michigan Corrections Organization, told Mid-Michigan NOW that he doubts the plan’s bed expansion. He said the department has nowhere to send high-security prisoners and that the plan is about two and a half years out.
The coverage cited here quotes no prison reformers, researchers or prisoners’ advocates on the software itself. Their views are not part of this report.
FROM KMOB1003
What Remains Unproven About Michigan Prison Classification
Several basic details are missing. The department has not named the pilot facilities or disclosed the contract cost. It has not said what data the tool uses, how prisoners can challenge a classification, or whether anyone outside the department will evaluate the results.
The 30 percent figure is the department’s claim alone. Without a baseline, no one outside the department can check it.
What Happens Next With Michigan Prison Classification
The pilot begins Dec. 1. The developments to check are whether the department names the facilities, publishes a baseline and an evaluation, and clarifies the role of staff review. Recidiviz may also describe how its platform works in Michigan.
Until the department shows its work, the public has a start date, a vendor and a number it is asked to take on trust.
Michigan Prison Classification Signal Breakdown
Not every claim about Michigan prison classification carries the same weight.
Reported by EUP News, WZZM 13 and Mid-Michigan NOW
- Pilot. It starts Dec. 1 at select men’s facilities that the department has not named.
- Vendor. Recidiviz, a nonprofit that works with agencies in 19 states.
- Claim. The department says the tool should improve violence risk prediction by about 30 percent.
- Process. Continuous reviews replace scheduled ones.
- Levels. Fox 2 Detroit reports four security levels, numbered 1, 2, 4 and 5.
- AI label. The department declined to say whether the tool uses AI, and Futurism calls the platform AI-integrated.
Context From Other Reporting
- Violence. The Safe Inside Project reports national rises in assaults from 2019 to 2024.
- Beds. The department plans 870 high-security beds; the union doubts the timeline.
- Louisiana. ProPublica reported that its parole algorithm coincided with far fewer releases. That is a different use from housing classification.
Not Established About Michigan Prison Classification
- which facilities are in the pilot
- what the contract costs
- how the 30 percent figure was measured
- whether the tool uses AI
- how much weight staff reviewers give its output
Sourcing: facts about the pilot come from EUP News, WZZM 13 (via Yahoo), Mid-Michigan NOW and Fox 2 Detroit; the AI characterization comes from Futurism; Recidiviz’s origin comes from Auth0; the Louisiana comparison comes from ProPublica’s April 10, 2025 report.
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