How to Look Up Someone in Michigan’s OTIS (Offender Tracking System)
Trying to find someone connected to the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC)? OTIS can help, as long as you know what it shows and what it doesn't.
OTIS is MDOC's public offender tracking system. It can pull up people who are currently, or were previously, under MDOC jurisdiction or supervision. That includes anyone who is or was in a Michigan prison, on MDOC parole or probation, transferred in or out of Michigan under the Michigan Interstate Compact, or listed as having escaped or absconded from their sentence. One big limitation to know upfront: OTIS only covers offenders who have been under MDOC jurisdiction or supervision within the last three years. If more time has passed, the person may not appear in results even if they had prior MDOC involvement.
Who shows up in OTIS: People in a Michigan prison, on MDOC parole or probation, transferred through the Michigan Interstate Compact, or listed as escapees/absconders can appear in results, as long as their MDOC involvement falls within the last three years.
- Go to the OTIS search page: Use the OTIS search tool provided by MDOC.
- Enter what you know: Use the search form to type in the identifying information you have (a name is often the easiest place to start).
- Submit the search and open the matching record: Look for the result that matches the person you’re trying to find.
- Sanity-check what you’re seeing: OTIS results can include people who are or were in prison, on MDOC parole/probation, transferred under the Interstate Compact, or listed as escapees/absconders. If the situation you know does not fit any of those, you may be looking at the wrong person, or the person may not appear in OTIS.
As you read through a record, you may notice Michigan Compiled Law numbers (MCL #). These are clickable. OTIS links them directly to the underlying statute text, which can save you a lot of guesswork.
When OTIS shows an MCL number in a record, click it. You'll be taken to the Michigan Legislature website, where the actual statute is displayed. This is a quick way to translate a conviction code into plain English, especially useful if you're trying to understand what someone was convicted of before calling a facility, contacting an attorney, or talking with family.
OTIS is a solid starting point, but don't rely on it for decisions that carry real consequences. MDOC itself warns against taking action based solely on OTIS results without confirming through official channels. If you're making plans around someone's status or trying to resolve a mismatch in information, treat what you find in OTIS as a lead that still needs verification.
- ✓ Confirm the information with MDOC before you make plans or share details with others.
- ✓ Use the Michigan State Police Internet Criminal History Access Tool (ICHAT) as another checkpoint.
- ✓ Review the court file (or court records) for the most authoritative details.
- ✓ If the OTIS entry looks inaccurate, out of date, or incomplete, email the MDOC Office of Public Information and Communications at correctionsinfo@michigan.gov.
If OTIS won't load, pages aren't displaying correctly, or you keep hitting technical errors, email the MDOC Webmaster at mdocwebmaster@michigan.gov. Include the page you were trying to open, what you were doing when it failed, the time it happened, and any screenshots you can grab. That helps them troubleshoot faster.
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- ✓ Do not act on OTIS details until you confirm them with MDOC, ICHAT, or a court file.
- ✓ If something looks wrong, email correctionsinfo@michigan.gov to flag inaccurate, out-of-date, or incomplete information.
- ✓ Save screenshots or notes of what you saw (helpful if the information changes later).
- ✓ Click any listed MCL numbers to read the statute text and understand what the citation refers to.
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