Gogebic County Inmate Population Overview
The active local detention facility identified for Gogebic County is the Gogebic County Jail in Bessemer. It is operated by the Gogebic County Sheriff's Office, led by Sheriff Jorge H. Cruz, not by a separate county corrections department. The jail page says the facility confines people apprehended for crimes in Gogebic County and people sentenced by the courts to serve jail time there. That means the Gogebic County inmate population is mainly a county-jail population: new arrests, pretrial detainees, short jail sentences, local holds, and people waiting for court action or transfer.
No official county dashboard with the current Gogebic County inmate population was located in the county jail, sheriff, or county homepage material reviewed in June 2026. The best county-specific number found was a historical average daily population of 28 from a Prison Policy Initiative Michigan jail phone-rate table using 2013 jail population data. That figure should be treated as dated background, not a live count. The county jail page, sheriff page, FOIA policy, courts, MDOC OTIS, VINELink, BOP, and ICE sources are therefore more useful for lookup than for a real-time population total.
The official Gogebic County Jail page is the right source for the jail's address, phone, Securus visitation links, Access Corrections deposit link, mail-policy documents, and jail administrator listing. The screenshot below comes from that official county jail page and anchors the local jail facts used across the Gogebic County inmate population pages.
Because the county page does not include a public roster, the image supports the contact and service path rather than a search-screen walkthrough.
Gogebic County Inmate Population Statistics
Gogebic County does not publish a current jail capacity, live daily count, annual bookings report, average length of stay, or demographic dashboard in the official sources reviewed. That absence matters because it limits any claim about the present Gogebic County inmate population. The available number is historical: the Prison Policy Initiative table lists Gogebic County Sheriff's Dept with Securus as the phone provider, a 2018 in-state 15-minute call cost of $15.06, and average daily population of 28 in 2013. The Prison Gerrymandering Project correctional population table also lists Gogebic Co. Jail as 28 on December 31, 2013.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Date |
|---|---|---|
| Historical average daily population | 28 | Prison Policy Initiative table, 2013 ADP |
| Current official daily population | Not published | Official county jail page reviewed June 2026 |
| Current official rated capacity | Not published | Official county jail page reviewed June 2026 |
| Active county detention facilities found | 1 | Facility map from official county sources |
| Former Ojibway capacity | Up to 1,180 | MDOC closed-facility page |
For a current head count, the practical source is the jail itself. The Gogebic County Jail and Sheriff's Office share the jail phone line at (906) 667-0203.
Gogebic County Inmate Population Trends
The county-specific trend record is thin. No official Gogebic County jail dashboard showed year-by-year average daily population, admissions, or release totals. The historical 2013 ADP of 28 is the only located local jail count. Later years in the research point to maintenance and system context instead of live count data: a 2024 jail plumbing bid notice, a 2025 jail entry repair notice, and state-level prison population changes tied to the former Ojibway Correctional Facility.
| Year | ADP / Population | What the Source Supports |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 28 | Historical Gogebic jail ADP in PPI and correctional population tables |
| 2018 | No current county jail count | MDOC closed Ojibway Correctional Facility after statewide prison population decline |
| 2023 | No Gogebic-specific count located | BJS gives national jail context, not a county figure |
| 2026 | No live county count located | Official jail page lists services and contact details, not a dashboard |
Those gaps should stay visible. A page about the Gogebic County inmate population fails if it turns a dated historical ADP into a current occupancy number.
Where Gogebic County Holds Inmates
People arrested in Gogebic County are normally handled through the Gogebic County Jail unless they are released, sent to court, moved on a warrant, transferred to another agency, or later sentenced to state or federal custody. The sheriff's office also provides court security, civil process, warrant enforcement, contract law enforcement services for Bessemer and Wakefield, and court-ordered transportation for certain Gogebic County Community Mental Health patients. Those duties can affect how a person moves between arrest, booking, court, and release.
The lookup system changes when custody changes. A person in local pretrial custody is not an MDOC prisoner. A person sentenced to a Michigan prison is searched in OTIS, not by calling the county jail for a roster entry. A person in BOP or ICE custody is in a separate federal or immigration system.
| Custody Stage | Likely System | What to Use |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh arrest or local hold | Gogebic County Jail | Call jail or use county FOIA for records |
| Misdemeanor case or early felony stage | 98th District Court | MiCOURT district search or clerk contact |
| Felony after circuit filing | 32nd Circuit Court | MiCOURT circuit search or clerk contact |
| State prison sentence | MDOC | OTIS offender search |
| Federal or immigration custody | BOP or ICE | BOP locator or ICE ODLS |
Gogebic County Inmate Population Laws
Michigan public-record and jail standards law shape access to Gogebic County jail records. The Michigan Freedom of Information Act states that people are entitled to full and complete information about government affairs and official acts, subject to the act's procedures and exemptions. For Gogebic County, that means a person seeking a booking record, jail record, booking photo, or related public record should use the county's written FOIA process when the jail cannot provide the information informally.
Key Statutes and Rules:
MCL 15.231 sets Michigan's public-policy statement for access to public records.
MCL 28.241a defines biometric data to include certain booking and arrest digital images when electronically available.
MCL 28.243 governs biometric collection, forwarding, and certain removal or destruction steps after nonfiling or dismissal.
MCL 791.262 requires standards for proper, efficient, and humane jail and lockup administration.
Michigan jail administrative rules add operating standards for sanitation, food service, inmate protection, facility policy, special diets, and health and safety practices. The state DCRA plan says Michigan lacks a separate state law requiring local agencies to report deaths in custody to MSP, while MSP collects federal DCRA data for DOJ reporting. Medical examiner reporting under MCL 52.208 can also apply to violent, unexpected, suspicious, or medically unattended deaths.
Search the Gogebic County Inmate Population
No official public Gogebic County Jail roster, booking report, recent-arrests feed, inmate search portal, or mugshot gallery was found on the county jail page, sheriff page, county homepage, or jail document center. The right search method is a fallback chain. Start with the jail for current custody, then move to written FOIA, MiCOURT, OTIS, VINELink, BOP, or ICE depending on the stage and agency.
- Call Gogebic County Jail at (906) 667-0203 with the full legal name, date of birth if known, arrest date, arresting agency, and case number if one exists.
- Ask whether booking is complete, whether bond has been set, and whether any court or agency hold affects release.
- If the jail cannot release details by phone, ask whether the record should be requested through Gogebic County FOIA.
- Search MiCOURT for 98th District Court or 32nd Circuit Court cases after charges are filed.
- Use OTIS for sentenced Michigan prisoners, VINELink for notifications, BOP for federal custody, and ICE ODLS for immigration detention.
| Field | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public online roster | Not available | n/a | No official Gogebic County online jail roster located. |
| Last name | Phone or FOIA detail | Practical requirement | Use full legal name when calling or writing. |
| First name | Phone or FOIA detail | Practical requirement | Include middle name or initial if known. |
| Date of birth | Phone or FOIA detail | Helpful | Helps avoid a false match with similar names. |
| Booking or arrest date | Phone or FOIA detail | Helpful | Use an approximate date if exact date is unknown. |
| Case number or court | Phone or FOIA detail | Helpful after filing | Use once MiCOURT or bond papers identify the case. |
Gogebic County Inmate Record Contents
Because Gogebic County does not publish an official jail profile online, do not assume the public can see a booking number, mugshot, charges, bond, housing unit, or release field in a roster entry. The information may exist in jail, court, or agency records, but public access can depend on phone disclosure, written FOIA, court filing status, redaction rules, and whether another agency controls the record.
| Record Field | What the Research Supports |
|---|---|
| Name and date of birth | Useful for identification; date of birth may be redacted in responses. |
| Booking date and time | May exist in jail records but is not posted on the county site. |
| Charges | Booking allegations can differ from prosecutor-filed court charges. |
| Bond | Confirm through the jail or court because holds may block release. |
| Booking photo | No county gallery found; request through FOIA if needed and not exempt. |
| Court date | Use MiCOURT or call the proper court clerk. |
For booking-photo detail, the Gogebic County jail mugshots page explains the county's no-gallery finding and the Michigan biometric-data statutes.
State and Federal Inmate Search
The MDOC OTIS search covers Michigan prisoners, parolees, probationers, absconders, and discharged offenders still within OTIS retention. MDOC says OTIS does not include county jail inmates, city lockup inmates, jail-only sentences, or people arrested but not yet sentenced. That is the most common Gogebic County inmate search mistake: OTIS is useful after MDOC custody begins, not while the person is held at the county jail after a fresh arrest.
The BOP inmate locator covers federal inmates from 1982 to the present. The ICE Online Detainee Locator System covers immigration detainees. Neither is a Gogebic County roster. Michigan VINELink may support custody notifications where available, but it should not be treated as the county's official jail list.
The official MDOC OTIS search page screenshot below shows the statewide search tool for sentenced offenders and supervision records.
Use OTIS only after the person is in the Michigan corrections system, not for a new Gogebic County Jail booking.
Gogebic County Detention Facilities
The facility map found one active local jail serving the Gogebic County inmate population. It did not find a separate county work-release annex, regional jail, active state prison, federal detention center, or ICE detention facility in Gogebic County official sources. Ojibway Correctional Facility in Marenisco Township is a former MDOC prison. MDOC says it closed on December 1, 2018, and had capacity for up to 1,180 prisoners before closure.
- Gogebic County Jail - the active county jail for local arrests, pretrial detainees, local holds, and county jail sentences.
Sentenced Michigan prisoners from Gogebic County can be assigned to prisons elsewhere in Michigan after reception and classification. Federal or immigration custody uses federal systems and may involve facilities outside the county.
Gogebic County Inmate Population FAQ
How big is the Gogebic County inmate population?
No current official Gogebic County jail population dashboard was located. The local number found in research is a historical average daily population of 28 from 2013. For the current count, call the Gogebic County Jail.
Does Gogebic County have an online inmate roster?
No official public online jail roster was located on the county jail page, sheriff page, county homepage, or jail document center. Use the jail phone line first, then FOIA and court systems when needed.
Where are court charges after arrest found?
Gogebic County criminal court records are searched through MiCOURT links for the 98th District Court and 32nd Circuit Court. The court records after jail arrest page explains the filing path.
Can VINELink replace the jail?
No. VINELink is a custody-notification tool where available. It is useful for alerts, but it is not the official Gogebic County Jail roster or records office.