Honor Camp

14171 Sixteen Mile Road
Gowen, MI 49326
Grand Rapids Phone: (616) 632-6391
Phone: (616) 754-8552

Map & Directions

The Sheriff's Honor Camp located in northern Kent County is used as a work camp primarily for youth offenders. Male inmates 17 to 23 years old that are sentenced to jail are eligible for the Sheriff's Honor Camp. The rustic setting provides an alternative to the usual jail environment and provides a structured living environment consisting of school and work.

The past year at the Honor Camp continues a pattern of improving completion rates. A successful completion is when a camper is released at the end of his sentence from the Honor Camp without having been returned to the main jail as a program failure. The Honor Camp continues an improved completion rate among campers of all age groups and races. Congratulations are in order to Sgt. Swem and his staff who are doing a fine job working with this difficult population of young offenders.

Honor Camp Visiting

Visiting hours are Saturdays and Sundays from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. Only girlfriends and immediate family members are allowed to visit. Attorneys and clergy may visit at any time. He/She must call ahead to make arrangements.

Inmates residing at the Honor Camp should be addressed like this:

Kent County Sheriff's Honor Camp
[Inmate's Full Name]
14171 Sixteen Mile Road
Gowen, MI 49326

Inmate Labor

The Main Jail, the Honor Camp, and the Work Release building all use inmate labor to accomplish a wide variety of chores. The jail uses sentenced minimum custody inmates to work at the Honor Camp and Work Release building, and carefully screened minimum custody inmates as trusties inside the Main Jail. The Main Jail trusties perform a variety of essential functions, such as kitchen work, housekeeping, laundry, barber, and other duties. This is not just "make-work" as it would be impossible to prepare the food or maintain the building without them. The trusties at the Work Release building perform labor for the jail in the yard and the garage, as well as working for local cities, the airport, the Animal Shelter, and other locations. Inmates at the Honor Camp cut wood, work in the garden, and perform maintenance and housekeeping functions. The Honor Camp maintains up to 3 roadside work crews in season. In return for their labor, the inmate's $18.00 daily room and board fee is waived.

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