Os Reentry Services

Break free from your past

OS Reentry Services is a comprehensive statewide initiative lead by the Michigan Department of Corrections, designed to support the successful reintegration of recently-paroled individuals into society. Operating within Prosperity Region 4, which encompasses the 13 counties of Allegan, Barry, Ionia, Kent, Lake, Mason, Mecosta, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, Osceola and Ottawa, the program is administered by Michigan Works! West Central. Our mission is to empower parolees in their transition, fostering a smoother reentry process and contributing to the collective well-being of our communities.


OS Reentry Services boasts a dedicated team of specialists, including Resource Navigators, Economic Stability Specialists, Health and Behavioral Health experts, Mentoring and Housing professionals. It provides programs tailored for higher education and skilled trades, as well as offers a range of resources aimed at breaking barriers and facilitating successful reentry into society.


Housing Stability: Basic housing supplies included, 24/7 structed housing and base housing, rental assistance. 


Economic Stability Specialist: Education services, job readiness, job search, temporary work experience, tryout employment, on-the-job training and support servies for work tools.


Resource Navigators: Support services for housing, clothing and hygiene assistance, vital documents, public and private transportation assistance, & more! 


Mentoring: Group-based or individual mentoring, life coach and Coalition, Leadership, Educate, Advice, Rehabilitation (C.L.E.A.R).  


Health and Behavioral Health: Cognitive behavioral therapy, battering intervention services, group and individual counseling, family counseling and trauma counseling.  


Truck Driving Program

Prosperity Region 4 launched the Truck Driving Program for OS Reentry participants in June 2015, and the inaugural cohort began training in January 2016. Since its inception, this successful model has been embraced by OS Reentry Services in various regions across the state. Region 4, in collaboration with FCG Truck Driver Training in Byron Center, has effectively enrolled 100 candidates into the program. As of now, the region proudly reports an impressive 96 percent success rate!


On a statewide scale, the impact has been substantial, with more than 250 candidates enrolled in the program and an outstanding success rate of 96.2 percent! This initiative continues to empower individuals across the state, providing them with valuable opportunities for reentry and success in the trucking industry.


Eligibility Requirements:

  • Successfully complete 90 days of parole
  • Must have out-of-state travel pass issued by MDOC
  • Successfully complete the vetting process 

For more information about OS Reentry Services, contact either:

- Angela Sprank, Region 4 Offender Success Community Coordinator, at (616) 902-5994 or spranka@michigan.gov; or 

- Chelsea Augustson, Region 4 OS Reentry Program Manager, at (231) 679-8761 or cdunn@mwwc.org.

Michigan’s prison population has fallen to its lowest level in more than three decades. Click to make the graph larger. (Source: Michigan Dept. of Corrections)

OS Reentry Services Works!

Michigan’s prison population has fallen to its lowest level in more than three decades, and state officials say the decline is no accident.


The Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) reported that 32,778 people were incarcerated statewide at the end of 2024, down more than 18,700 from a peak of over 51,000 in 2007. The decline is part of a broader trend driven by fewer new court commitments, expanded parole efforts, and a sharp drop in people sent back to prison for technical violations, according to state officials.


The number of people on parole has fallen by 60 percent from its peak in 2009, and the probation population is down nearly 46 percent from its 2010 high.


Perhaps most notably, Michigan’s recidivism rate — the share of people who return to prison within three years of release — has dropped to 22.7 percent, the second-lowest in state history. For those who complete the state’s Vocational Village trades program, that rate falls even further, to just 12 percent.


“This report shows our evidence-based practices are working, as total population and recidivism rate numbers continue to remain at historic lows,” MDOC Director Heidi Washington said.


State projections suggest the downward trend will continue gradually through 2029, as long as no major changes in sentencing laws or criminal justice policy reverse the course.


The information above is from a news story published by the Detroit MetroTimes on May 7, 2025. To read the full story, click here.