Recidivism, the tendency of a convicted criminal to reoffend, is an issue the Montana Department of Corrections is stepping up efforts to address. Director Brian Gootkin detailed what they are doing at a recent state legislative audit committee meeting.
Montana Districting Group Working To Change Counting Of Incarcerated Citizens
The Montana Districting and Apportionment Commission is moving forward with its plan to change how incarcerated people in the state are counted for the purposes of legislative redistricting. In a meeting earlier this month they voted to send out a request for proposals to vendors who may be able to do the necessary analysis. The body is seekin...
U.S. Justice Department Awards Montana Tribes Victim Compensation Grants
November is National Native American Heritage Month. The U.S. Department of Justice has awarded a combined $2.2 million in grants to the Blackfeet, Northern Cheyenne, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux, and Chippewa Cree tribes for victim services. $3.7 million will go to the state Department of Corrections throug...
Montana Runs Out Of Materials For New License Plates
Due to an aluminum shortage affecting businesses throughout the United States Montana Correctional Enterprises was forced to change its production process for Montana license plates this week when its supply of the material ran out. Its license plate factory produces about 750,000 license plates a year for Montana motorists in all 56 counties....
Montana State Prison Union May Strike
A possible strike is brewing at the Montana State Prison as the employees’ unions continue negotiations with the state Corrections Department Thursday. The Federation of Montana State Prison Employees Local 4700 announced earlier this month its members had voted sixty to zero to engage in concerted activity a step toward a potential strike to ...
1st COVID Case In Montana State Prison Reported In 2 Months
The Montana State Prison has reported its first COVID-19 cases among inmates at the facility since May. The Montana Department of Corrections reported three new cases on its website this week bringing the total cases among inmates there to 493 since its first case last October. One inmate is currently hospitalized while six have died from comp...
Cascade County Prisoners Moved To Shelby Prison
65 state inmates were transferred to the private prison near Shelby this week as part of a deal ending the Montana Department of Corrections’ use of the regional prison in Cascade County. The Crossroads Correctional Center is a major employer in Shelby holding almost 15% of the county’s total population with a 712-bed facility for ...
Settlement Reached Between Department Of Corrections And Women’s Prison Officer
The Montana Department of Corrections will pay a $250,000 settlement to corrections officer Kevin Brown who said his promotions were stifled after he raised the alarm about rape allegations at the Montana Women’s Prison. As reported by Lee Newspaper’s Montana State News Bureau this is the second $250,000 dollar settlement, the high...
Crossroads Correctional Center Expecting New Contract From CoreCivic
The Montana Department of Corrections’ contract with CoreCivic which operates the 600-bed Crossroads Correctional Center near Shelby expires at the end of the month. All of the basic details are already figured out and the final language is being worked out between the parties’ attorneys for a new contract to begin July 1st. It req...
Senator Daines Responds To Biden Address
A Hamilton woman who shot and killed her husband following an alleged abusive relationship was sentenced to a suspended 20-year commitment to the Montana Department of Corrections. Joanne Evelyn Campbell, 61, wiped away tears as she appeared via video link during her sentencing hearing Thursday before Ravalli County District Court. Campbell wa...