06/09/2026
Almost 35 years ago, in July 1989, a new corrections facility was opened in Muskegon, named after the stateâs first Corrections Commissioner Earnest C. Brooks.
So, who was he?
Earnest Brooks served as a Lieutenant in World War I and was elected the 26th Mayor of Holland just one year before the Great Depression. From 1936-1938 and again from 1940-1942, Brooks served as a state senator for the Muskegon-Ottawa district.
In January 1949, Brooks was appointed Corrections Commissioner, the head of the department. Brooks followed a strict schedule, visiting Southern Michigan Prison in Jackson twice a week, the Ionia Reformatory once a week, and Branch Prison in Marquette once a month. He focused on increase mental health and medical services for the prison population.
In 1952, Brooks oversaw the handling of a prison riot at Jackson State Prison, during which he blocked the use of police guns to quell the situation. After the riot, while speaking to state senators, Brooks emphasized the idea that those incarcerated were as human as he and them. His wife, Edith, said he was an idealist who always believed you could help people change for the better.
In 1953, Michigan formed the Corrections Commission. Earnest was appointed one of its first Commissioners. In 1971, Marquette State Prison named its new medical center, complete with counseling rooms and social services, the Brooks Medical Center, which is still in use at MBP today.
His legacy of rehabilitation and change persists in today's department. His accomplishments are felt in Muskegon, Marquette, and throughout the state.
