Special Alternative Incarceration Facility

Special Alternative Incarceration Facility is an alternative prison in Chelsea, Michigan. It was formerly a minimum security boot camp known as Camp Cassidy Lake for male and female probationers. The facility is a part of the Michigan Department of Corrections.As of May 1, 2009, SAI is no longer referred to as a "boot camp ". It is a full service Michigan Prisoner ReEntry Initiative In-Reach Correctional Facility.HistoryUnder the administrative control of the Cooper Street Correctional Facility, the Special Alternative Incarceration program began in 1988 as an alternative to prison for male probationers convicted of certain crimes and selected by courts. In 1992 the program was expanded to include both male and female prisoners and probationers. State law precludes participation if convicted of a number of primarily assaultive crimes.In January 2014, a Special Alternative Incarceration program was started at the Huron Valley Women's Facility where all female offenders are now housed.ProgramPhase I of the program involves a highly disciplined regimen of 90 days, consisting of military-style exercise, meaningful work assignments and other programming, including secondary education and substance-abuse treatment. Phase II involves intensive supervision in the community, usually in a residential "halfway house" setting. Phase III of the program involves supervision of offenders similar to the way in which probationers are supervised. Phase I and III are mandatory, and Phase II is determined by assessing a particular offender's need for residential placement. The goal of the program is to keep selected lower-risk probationers from going to prison and to take qualified prisoners out of the traditional prison setting and place them into a more cost-effective management setting. The program has proven to be cost-effective and successful in keeping graduates out of prison.