Mackinac County Jail Overview
Mackinac County Jail is operated by the Mackinac County Sheriff's Office. It is the only detention facility in the resolved county facility map and functions as a small local jail rather than a regional correctional center. The jail holds pretrial detainees after local arrest, people waiting for arraignment or later court action, locally sentenced jail inmates, people held for transport, and people tied to court-ordered tether, house arrest, or GPS tether programs.
The official jail page says the current building was built in 1972 and replaced an older jail housed in the basement of the County Courthouse. The county reports a rated capacity of 28 inmates, MDOC certification under Michigan local jail and lockup standards, and an American Correctional Association Core Jail Standards accreditation note from 2009. Those details make the jail a courthouse-campus facility with a clear local history, but they do not create an online roster. No official Mackinac County public inmate search form was found.
Mackinac County Jail Capacity
The strongest facility population figure is the rated capacity published by the county jail page. Mackinac County Jail has 28 rated beds. Older population research cited a 25.1 average daily population in 2010, close to rated capacity, and an 18 average daily population figure in 2013 from Prison Policy Initiative's jail phone-rate appendix. No current official online daily population count was located.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| Rated capacity | 28 inmates | Mackinac County Jail official page, modified 2025 |
| Historical ADP | 25.1 inmates | Jail Committee Full Report search-result text, 2010 |
| Average daily population | 18 inmates | Prison Policy Initiative phone-rate appendix, 2013 |
| Current public online count | Not published | No official roster or population dashboard found |
Lookup Mackinac County Jail Custody
Mackinac County Jail does not publish an official online roster in the located county sources. Current custody lookup therefore starts with the jail phone line and branches by record type. Jail staff are the practical source for whether someone is housed at the facility now, while the County Clerk FOIA process is the route for booking records that are not posted online. VINELink can help with release notifications, MiCOURT handles court cases after filing, and MDOC OTIS covers state prison or supervision after sentencing.
- Call Mackinac County Jail at (906) 643-7325 for current custody status.
- Have the person's full name, approximate age or birth date, arrest date, arresting agency, and any case or warrant number.
- Ask whether the person is housed at Mackinac County Jail, bonded out, released, or transferred.
- Use VINELink for release notifications if the person is tied to a Michigan custody record.
- Use MiCOURT after formal court charges or hearings appear.
- Use MDOC OTIS if the person has moved from county jail into state custody or supervision.
Mackinac County Jail Contact
The jail and sheriff's office share the county government complex address in St. Ignace. Use the jail phone for current custody questions and the sheriff administrative phone for sheriff's office business. Written public-record requests are routed through the County Clerk and FOIA Coordinator rather than a jail-specific online records form.
Mackinac County Jail
100 South Marley Street
St. Ignace, MI 49781
(906) 643-7325
Jail information and current custody questions
Mackinac County Sheriff's Office
100 South Marley Street
Saint Ignace, MI 49781
(906) 643-1911
Administrative office
Mackinac County Jail Visits
Visitation at Mackinac County Jail is video-based through CTEL. The county says the on-site video visitation kiosk is available Sunday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. and that there is no charge to use the lobby kiosk. Remote video visitation is available as well, but the researched county text did not publish a separate remote fee or hour schedule.
| Visit Type | Schedule / Access | Vendor / Rules |
|---|---|---|
| On-site video kiosk | Sunday-Saturday, 7 a.m.-11 p.m. | CTEL account required; no charge to use lobby kiosk. |
| Remote video visitation | Available | Subject to CTEL account rules, recording, and monitoring. |
| Attorney visits | Not specifically published | Verify arrangements with the jail or court. |
Visitors must not have been in Mackinac County Jail during the previous six months and must not owe the jail for past housing expenses. Visitors may not be under the influence of illegal drugs or alcohol. They are subject to warrant checks and search. Visits must stay quiet, children under 18 must be with a parent or guardian, and no food or drink is allowed. Recording devices, cell phones, and cameras are barred from the visitation area.
Mackinac County Jail Phone Money
Inmates at Mackinac County Jail use CTEL through video visitation systems for regular phone calls. Housing-area phones are available daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. CTEL cannot call pagers or internet phones. Money can be added to an inmate phone account through InmateSales, and commissary funds can be added through JailATM, USPS, or in person.
| Service | Provider / Channel | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Phone and video account | InmateSales / CTEL | County links CTEL and InmateSales for phone and video services. |
| CTEL support | (702) 829-3001 | Support phone published on the jail page. |
| Commissary funds | USPS, in person, or JailATM | County says funds may be deposited through these channels. |
| Cash bond | GovPay location a000c5 | Verify bond status and pay location before paying. |
| Booking fees | GovPay location a000c6 | Official sheriff/jail link. |
| Jail housing | GovPay location a000c7 | Official sheriff/jail link. |
| Tether fees | GovPay location a000c8 | Official sheriff/jail link. |
Mackinac County Jail Mail Items
The jail page does not publish a standard envelope format for personal letters. It does say money for commissary, work release, tether, housing or medical expenses, or bond may be mailed directly to the jail. Allowable inmate items must be sent directly from an outside vendor, such as Amazon, Walmart, a publisher, or another vendor source. Items sent from personal addresses are not accepted.
Accepted vendor-sent items include white underwear, socks, T-shirts, bras with no underwire, books, board games, magazines, and newspapers. Items received but not approved are placed in inmate property. All other items may be purchased from commissary. The jail reserves the right to inspect items and refuse contraband, damaged items, tampered items, or other items that do not meet jail rules.
Mackinac County Jail Booking
Arrests that lead to Mackinac County Jail may involve the Sheriff's Office, St. Ignace Police Department, Mackinac Island Police Department, Michigan State Police, or another authorized agency. The county prosecutor page explains that police may arrest on the spot in certain circumstances and later submit a warrant or charging request to the Prosecuting Attorney. Once a person enters local custody, jail intake can include identity checks, property inventory, medical or security screening, booking record creation, fingerprints or photographs when required, charge or hold entry, court routing, and classification.
A jail booking reason is not always the same as the formal court charge. The prosecutor may authorize different charges, amend counts, dismiss allegations, or send a case for more investigation. The 92nd District Court handles arraignment, bail setting and acceptance for misdemeanor matters, and felony preliminary examinations. The 11th Circuit Court handles felony criminal cases after bindover. For current custody, ask the jail. For formal charge status, use court records.
Mackinac County Jail Programs
Mackinac County publishes several local program details that distinguish the jail from generic directory listings. The community service program may provide labor for community needs such as shoveling walks, mowing lawns for elderly or handicapped residents, and parks and recreation projects. The county describes the program as both a community aid and a way for inmates to build useful skills after release.
The jail also has tether, house arrest, and GPS tether programs that work with the courts. These should be treated as court-related alternatives or monitoring tools, not as walk-in public services. Tether fees can be paid through the sheriff's GovPay tether-fee link. No detailed public manual for jail medical care, mental-health services, religious services, GED, vocational programs, or substance-abuse treatment was located, so those programs should not be attributed to Mackinac County Jail without direct confirmation.
Directions to Mackinac County Jail
Mackinac County Jail is at 100 South Marley Street in St. Ignace, near the county courthouse and government complex. From I-75 and the Mackinac Bridge area, travel into St. Ignace and route toward South Marley Street. From US-2 west of St. Ignace, continue toward the county seat and courthouse area. From M-123 or other Upper Peninsula approaches, route toward downtown St. Ignace and confirm parking and visitor entry before leaving.
Note: Confirm custody, visit eligibility, CTEL account status, and visitor entry rules with the jail before traveling.