2008 News Archive
CCCS wins contract
118-bed facility east of Anaconda will likely staff up to 20 additional people
Montana Standard, 12/30/2008
A Butte-based corrections organization has landed the contract for a 118-bed facility just east of Anaconda.
Community, Counseling and Corrections Services has received a state Department of Corrections contract to operate the START Program, which houses adult male felony offenders who have violated the terms of their probations.
"We're excited," CCCS executive director Mike Thatcher said Monday night. "It's been a long, arduous process." The 20-year contract means CCCS will build a new $12.5 million facility for the program at Montana Highways 48 and 243. The 37 workers who currently staff START on the Montana State Hospital campus at Warm Springs will keep their jobs, and CCCS will likely add up to 20 more positions once the new facility is finished, Thatcher said.
CCCS has operated the START program as a pilot project since 2005; its current 88-bed facility on the Warm Springs campus is slated for demolition.
Both CCCS and Two Rivers Authority of Hardin responded to the state's call for bids to run START as a permanent program. After Two Rivers bid was rejected as incomplete, the department and CCCS entered negotiations.
"Working with CCCS is always a good partnership," said Gary Willems, DOC's contracts management bureau chief. "During our negotiation process CCCS had to be very patient. As always, they were professional and cooperative." The contract was awarded after the department and CCCS agreed upon the rate of $95.98 per prisoner per day, up from $79.80 at the current facility.
"The building they're operating now is a state-owned building, but they're building a new structure, so obviously the cost is not going to be the same," said Bob Anez, a spokesman for the Department of Corrections.
The department is proposing an aggressive construction timeline, with the new building to be in operation in December 2009, Willems said.
"Weather conditions ... will play a part," he said.
Thatcher said CCCS will use contractor Swank Enterprises for the project; construction is expected to begin in March.
The START Program is designed to give offenders a taste of incarceration, coupled with treatment to help raise the odds they can successfully return to their communities, a news release said.
"Since it opened about three years ago, START has diverted from prison almost three out of every four offenders admitted to the program and returned them to community placements," the release said.
Although the state initially proposed a 98-bed START Program, it plans to ask the Legislature for funding for a 118-bed program.
CCCS gets contract for Kalispell prerelease center
The state has awarded the contract to build and operate a new 40-bed prerelease center
in the Kalispell area to Community, Counseling and Correctional
Services.
Corrections site near deal
ANACONDA — Plans for a 144-bed corrections facility just east of Anaconda are looking promising for a Butte-based organization. The state Department of Corrections has eliminated a Hardin facility from consideration for a contract to run the START Program,
leaving Community, Counseling and Correctional Services of Butte the lone contender. "The scoring committee met on Monday and concluded in the case of Hardin they failed to respond sufficiently in key categories and
as a result their response was rejected," said Bob Anez, communications director for the DOC. "That leaves CCCS as the lone proposer
to run the START facility." The department and CCCS will now begin negotiations, specifically with regard to how much the organization
is proposing to charge per prisoner, per day. "It's not a done deal," Anez said. "We're hoping to get that down from where it is." The prospects warrant cautious optimism,
CCCS executive director Mike Thatcher said Thursday. "It's promising; we have made the next step into the best-final offer discussion options," he said. "I'm grateful for all of the
support out of the Anaconda Community." The START Program is for male felony offenders who have violated the terms of their probations.
Through a state contract, CCCS currently runs the program on the Montana State Hospital at Warm Springs Campus. It is proposing to
build a new $13.5 million facility on ARCO land at Montana Highways 48 and 243. The organization employs 37 people at the existing facility, and has said the new proposal would likely mean more jobs. Although Two Rivers proposed to use an existing Hardin facility, it ultimately failed to provide sufficient information in several
areas, Anez said. "The areas we still had concerns with was their financial stability; they've had problems making their bond payments because they
haven't been able to find any customers for the facility," Anez said. "We didn't want to get into a contract with an organization we
couldn't be sure was financially stable." Also, the DOC had concerns about Two Rivers' ability to staff and open the facility within
60 days and other issues. But questions still remain about CCCS proposed costs for the new facility. Currently, the organization is proposing to charge
DOC $117 per prisoner, per day; the department doesn't want to pay that much. "We understood it was going to be more expensive than where they are now," Anez said. "If they're going to build a new building
it makes sense there is going to be some additional costs. But $117 was more than we were hoping for." The negotiations are expected
to take place over the next few weeks. "Our goal is still to get this contract awarded before the end of the year, and the sooner the better," Anez said.
Hardin jail misses out on contract
A much-questioned Hardin jail is no longer in the running for a $2.7 million state correctional contract, a committee decided Monday. The empty 450-bed lockdown has never opened for business since it was completed late last year and has since defaulted on the revenue
bonds sold to finance its construction. Members of the Department of Corrections committee that evaluated the jail said at a meeting that Two Rivers Authority, the economic
development arm of the city of Hardin that built the jail, failed to answer several key questions about the facility, despite being
given a second chance to do so. "Right now, we'd be contracting with a company in default," said Gary Willems, chief of Corrections' Contracts and Facility Management
Bureau. "I think that might be a first, for the Department of Corrections, anyway." The panel concluded that Two Rivers failed to show how it would staff the jail with qualified workers, how it arrived at the per-day
costs previously quoted to the state and failed to show that the jail is financially sound. The panel was particularly concerned that Two Rivers reported it would still be in default, even if it won the contract. The agency said
it would need two state contracts to make its revenue bond payments. The decision means that the Butte-based Community, Counseling and Correctional Services Inc., or CCCS, will be awarded the contract
for the 88-bed facility. At issue was which entity would run the program, which was begun three years ago as a pilot project for probationers who fail to
follow the conditions of their release. Called the Sanction, Treatment, Assessment and Revocation Transition program, or START, the
regimen is intended to be in a prisonlike setting where errant probationers can get a sampling of life behind bars while also receiving
therapy to help them succeed in society. CCCS has been running the state's pilot START program for the past three years at a jail-like building in Warm Springs. The same panel previously met in late September and gave Two Rivers a slim lead in the first step toward awarding the contract. However,
the panel members said then that they had many questions about Two Rivers' proposal and asked the group to come back with more information.
The panel also asked CCCS to clarify one part of its proposal. The group met again Monday to evaluate the updated information it had received. It concluded that CCCS had answered all of the questions,
while Two Rivers had left many unanswered. The decision came as the latest development in the Hardin jail's long path to open its doors. The 450-bed jail was built by the city
of Hardin, which has no police force or city jail. It was intended to be an economic development tool to provide jobs to the community. Jail backers have said they were led to believe by the past Corrections director that if they built the jail, the state would place
inmates there. However, no contracts were in place before the jail was built, and no written agreements to that effect have ever been
produced. The state has no use for the space, agency officials say. To fill the jail, Two Rivers and Hardin authorities began looking to other states for inmates but first had to prove to a Helena
judge that the facility could legally accept out-of-state inmates. The judge ruled in Two Rivers' favor earlier this year, but no other states have publicly expressed interest in the jail. The START contract was the first time Two Rivers had applied for a state contract. Greg Smith, executive director of the Two Rivers
Authority, said Monday that the authority learned some things after going through the process, which it applied in its second bid for a
state contract to house sex offenders at the site. Smith on Monday called the process "fair" and said he was pleased with the way the state handled its deliberations. "As long as it's a fair process," Smith said.
Our readers speak: A public apology to Butte
residents
This letter is to apologize to all of the people in Butte to whom my
drug use has affected directly or indirectly.
Anaconda facility proposed
State wants more information on corrections program bids
ANACONDA — State officials
are asking for more information from two companies that submitted bids
to run a corrections program, one of which is proposing a new facility
outside of Anaconda.
TIFID, special use permit given OK ANACONDA — The Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Commission approved a tax increment finance district and two
special use permit applications for a corrections facility Tuesday. The commission approved the formation of the Mill Creek tax increment finance district, which is intended to provide a
funding mechanism for infrastructure and help spur development in the Mill Creek area. Also, the commission approved two special use permits for a 144-bed corrections facility to operate outside of Anaconda. Community, Counseling and Correctional Services of Butte is planning to build a facility for the START Program, which is
currently an 80-bed program on the Montana State Hospital campus at Warm Springs. That building is slated for closure and the state
Department of Corrections has asked for bids for a new building. CCCS is participating in the bid process, and applied for two special use permits: One for land at the intersection of Montana
Highways 48 and 287, and another for land near the Sky Haven Lodge property off of Highway 48. The former is the preferred site;
the latter is an alternate. The organization applied for permits for two sites in case there is a problem securing one of them for a new facility. The START Program houses adult-male offenders who have violated the terms of their probation.
CCCS looks to build facility ANACONDA — A Butte-based organization has applied for special use permits for two pieces of land in the county
with the intent of using one of them for a new 144-bed corrections facility. Community Counseling and Correctional Services has requested special use permits for the facility in two locations:
Forty acres of ARCo-owned land at the northwest corner of Montana Highways 48 and 273 and its own property west of Highway 48
near Bowman Field. Planning staff presented the applications to the county commission Tuesday; commissioners will vote on them at a future meeting.
The county planning board unanimously recommended approval of the permits. The ARCo-owned land is CCCS’s preferred site; the land near Bowman Field is an alternate location in case Superfund issues threaten
to hold up the project, said Connie Daniels, county planning director. “Because CCCS is on a very tight timeline they wanted a backup,” Daniels said. CCCS officials were not at Tuesday’s meeting, but recently announced plans to build a new $14 million to $20 million facility
to house the START program, which offers short-term placement for minimum-security male offenders who have violated their probation
terms. START is currently an 88-bed, CCCS-run program housed in a building on the Montana State Hospital campus that is slated for closure.
The state Department of Corrections has requested proposals for a new location for the program; CCCS is assembling a plan to submit to
the state in August. Initially, CCCS presented plans for a new 118-bed facility for the program, but the special use permit applications call for a new
144-bed facility. Designs submitted with the permit applications show a layout similar to the Reintegrating Youthful Offenders building
near Galen, also a CCCS-run program. Currently, START employs about 35 people. CCCS officials have said that if the new facility is built, the organization would retain
existing jobs and add about 25 new positions.
Corrections facility proposed ANACONDA — A Butte-based organization plans to propose a new 118-bed corrections facility in Deer Lodge County, officials said
this week. Community Counseling and Corrections Services is assembling a proposal for a new $14 million to $20 million facility to house
the START Program, executive director Mike Thatcher said. START is short-term placement for minimum-security male adult offenders who have violated the terms of their probation.
“This is an intermediate program,” Thatcher told county commissioners Tuesday.
START, currently housed in a building on the Montana State Hospital at Warm Springs campus, was started as a three-year pilot
program in 2005 through a contract between the state Department of Corrections and CCCS. That contract is up in December and the
building is slated for closure, potentially leaving 37 people without jobs.
“We’ve got an existing program with existing people,” Thatcher said. “If we don’t put something together, we’re going to lose them.”
But if CCCS could build a new facility to house the START Program and meet state needs, it could not only retain existing jobs but add
up to 25 new positions, he said. The organization, in response to a proposal request from the state for a 118-bed facility, is putting together plans for a new
building in the Anaconda area to house the program. Four sites are under consideration: Arco land in the Opportunity Triangle;
property near the Sky Haven Lodge at the county airport; Arco land at Highway 48 and Galen Road; county property between the
wastewater treatment and arbiter plants east of town. The proposal is preliminary — location, financing and building design all remain to be resolved before the pitch is made official,
Thatcher said. But even early in process, he is trying to rally community support. “We need everybody’s help,” he said. The idea garnered support from audience members at Tuesday’s commission meeting. “The best jobs to attract and the best jobs to create are the ones you already have,” said Jim Davison, executive director of
the Anaconda Local Development Corp. Others agreed the jobs are vital. “I would encourage continued support from the commission and chief executive,” said Rose Nyman, who is running for the commission. County officials said the project would be appropriate use of either ARCo or county lands. “It’s a great thing,” Chief Executive Rebecca Guay said. “The facility is already in the county. It saves jobs and it’s going to grow.
It’s certainly an appropriate use for some of that land down there.” The state will issue a request for proposals this month, Thatcher
said, and they will be due by late summer.
WATCh East improves lives as well as the economy As a community, we can either lift up or tear down. It is our choice; do we enable others to grow and regain their
lives or deny that ability? In attending the Open House at WATCh East Thursday, I was pleasantly
surprised by the attendance and
the reception by the visitors, and the facility itself. WATCh East is so important not only to those clients obtaining treatment, but also this community. Those who work or volunteer
time at WATCh East see miracles happen every day. The residents there for treatment are
gaining skills that were out of their
reach before. The public hearing Thursday evening was well attended and many came forward to express support for the program. Over and over,
we heard these people need treatment, they are good people who have made some bad choices (like we all have), this community and
all communities are safer with clients receiving help at WATCh East rather than sitting in a jail and then returning to communities
across the state with not changing behavior or learning tools to make better decisions. The statement we heard over and over again
was "this is a good program that needs to be expanded by 10 beds to better serve more of those who need the help." The space is
available and is better served helping those who need treatment offered at this facility. It was noted that the screening committee is doing a great job of making sure that no sec offenders or those with violent histories
are allowed to enter the program. They are meeting often and it was noted that many more need treatment. Allowing 10 more beds
would mean that more people are getting the help they need. Not only does this change and improve lives, it is an economic boon for this community -- it has created 23
jobs -- and for the
state in general. When someone is convicted of a fourth DUI, it is a felony and the sentence requires time spent in prison.
Offenders learn nothing languishing in prison, but when they are able to come to WATCh East, it costs the state half of what it
would cost to put that person in prison -- it is a win win for all. Some of the review meeting attendees mentioned many reasons why the program should be expanded. Some have lost relatives because
they did not have this help available to them, some had family members who needed this help and lives have been saved. Others
mentioned that they went to WATCh East weekly for Bible study, or AA, and see lives change, including their own. All who have
contact with residents have appreciation for them and the growth they have seen come from all that is learned at this facility. While visiting WATCh East, I read a statement that sums it all up, "No one can change their past, but anyone can start
today and make a brand new future!" It is a privilege for the community of Glendive to help.
WATCh East proposal supported Comments made by area residents at the May 1 public hearing to increase capacity at WATCh East were almost exclusively positive. Based on current waiting lists and projections of growing demand the Montana Department of Corrections has made increasing the
number of DUI treatment beds in the state a priority. Rick Deady, Treatment Contract Program Manager for the Adult Communities
Correction Division at the Montana Department of Corrections, explained that the DOC proposes increasing capacity at WATCh East by
10 beds and at WATCh West in Warm Springs by 40 beds. Although WATCh East Program Coordinator Deb Dion proposed several other changes to the administrative rules, capacity is the
only issue being addressed at this time. Lori Muller, who said she lived within sight of the facility, was the only person who spoke in opposition to the expansion.
while she supports the program itself, she has been opposed to its location in the Hillcrest/Georgetown subdivision from the
beginning, Muller said, citing safety concerns. Muller also disapproved of the methods used in the DOC's survey on the capacity
issue. She and several other Hillcrest residents did not receive surveys at all, and some people chose not to return them because
the surveys were identified by residents' names rather than numbers. In the future, Muller suggested that the DOC use a neutral
third party to administer the survey. According to Deady, the DOC sent out 430 surveys, 215 to homes in the subdivision and 215 to other homes in Glendive. Two-hundred
sixteen surveys were returned, of which 201 were in favor of the proposal and 15 against. People who have not yet returned the
surveys have until May 15 for their comments to be considered. Comments made on the surveys will be compiled and presented to the
Glendive City Council, Deady said. Eight people in attendance spoke in favor of increasing capacity at WATCh East. Each one cited the obvious need for the program
as a factor in their support. "Eastern Montana deserves a facility like this and deserves an expansion to fit the need of the people,"
Pat Mischel stated. "If (the need) is not met, the devastation to the community
and to family members is just terrible," Bob Anderson
added. Other supporters pointed out that only nonviolent offenders are accepted at WATCh East. "These are good people that made some
bad choices, as we all do," noted Deb Mooer. Bob Ackerman spoke in favor not only of the treatment program itself, but also its economic impact on the community, pointing out
that it provides good jobs with benefits to area residents. The Department of Corrections will accept written comments on the rule change until 5 p.m. May 15. Interested parties should send
comments to Myrna Omholt-Mason, 1539 11th Ave., P.O. Box 201301, Helena, MT 59602-1301. Hearings Examiner Brenda Elias said a final decision can be expected within one month of that date.
Open house and tour offered a glimpse at Facility In an open house which preceded the hearing, WATCh East Security Coordinator Patty Smith explained that there are already 50 beds
in the building, so increasing capacity actually will not require any construction. If capacity is increased, the facility
will hire an additional counselor, she stated. The counseling staff currently consists of a clinic supervisor, two counselors, and two counselor technicians. Security personnel
will not be increased, Smith said, as there are already at least two security members on duty at all times. On weekends when there
are fewer members of the treatment staff at WATCh, there are three to four security people on duty. There are currently 16 men and 22 women in treatment at the facility. Participants live two to three in a room, each of which
has its own bathroom. There are separate men's and women's wings, each with day rooms for
relaxation. The facility also includes
a cafeteria, classrooms, and indoor and outdoor recreation areas. The comprehensive six-month program is more effective than the typical 20-day program, Smith said, noting that many WATCh participants
have already been through other, shorter programs. One current participant echoed her sentiments, saying, "I've been there, and now
I'm here." Clients at WATCh East have the opportunity to take classes for college credit or to obtain a GED. Instructors from Dawson
Community College teach a life skills class and six workshop classes that earn participating clients certificates in Career
Development and Life Management. Smith feels those classes give participants the skills and confidence they need to re-integrate
into communities after treatment. Other area groups, including Dawson County Domestic Violence and local ministers, also provide support to the program.
WATCh support encouraged Editor: My name is R.J. Koerper and recently I wrote a letter to the community of Glendive
both communicating to them the impact that the WATCh treatment program there had on me, as well as thanking them for
embracing the facility and their mission. I completed the six month treatment regimen in December of 2006. I understand that May 1 the citizens of Glendive will have the opportunity to publicly voice their opinions
about some proposed changes in the treatment at WATCh that will affect the surrounding community. Specifically
the proposed changes are as follows: 1. Increasing capacity to 10 beds. 2. Allowing visitors to drive to the facility rather than being transported from City Hall. 3. Family members being allowed to wear civilian clothing during their last phase. 4. Family members being allowed to leave the facility supervised to attend outside recovery meetings in their
last phase and/or to leave the facility to participate in "pay it forward" community projects such as cleanup day,
etc. As an alumnus of the program I wanted to write and offer my support for those proposed changes. The waiting list for a
treatment program such as WATCh will only grow longer sadly to say. Montana is one of the few states that recognizes that DUI
offenders need treatment rather than just incarceration. The program not only needs to continue but also to grow to be able
to treat as many as possible. The other three proposals are based on the assumption that the transition from the program to
the society needs to be more gradual so that a more "normal" lifestyle can be resumed. Let me explain. One of the most difficult issues that I faced when I graduated from the program was that I left a very closed structured system to
one that was open and very different. That transition was extremely difficult for me, and I know for many others who had gone
through the program. A small example: at WATCh everyone wore the same colors and the same types of clothes, depending on the phase
they were in, right up until they left. In the proposed change, family members can wear civilian clothing during their last phase. It may seem like a small change, but in reality it is significant...it is part of helping the members to more effectively
transition back into society, and is preparing them for that. That is huge. Likewise, to be able to attend recovery meetings such as AA in the area will help to develop a lifestyle outside the facility
in continuing their recovery in a setting that is not directly connected with WATCh. For me personally, getting connected to
my home group in Billings was the single biggest thing that has helped me maintain my sobriety. The community service opportunity
would be very beneficial because it would create a win/win scenario for members of the city and for the WATCh family. Service
work is inherent in 12-step recovery programs, the city benefits with clean up and improvement projects, and again the family member is
being encouraged to live a more productive lifestyle. I had a terrific opportunity to "pay it forward" after I graduated. After
returning to Billings, I still had 60 hours of community service as part of my sentence. Through Providence, I was given the opportunity to work with the Montana Rescue Mission and create for them a significant part of
their transitional program, the Brotherhood, which helps residents to move back into the society from the mission. A considerable part
of what I did for them was based on what I had received when I went through the WATCh program. The principles I learned at WATCh are
very transferable into other venues. To be able to pay it forward while still in the program is a great way to provide feedback and
encouragement to live more productively upon graduation. When the citizens of Glendive meet on May 1 to voice their opinions, I hope they will embrace these proposed changes, changes
which I believe will make the treatment at WATCh that much more effective, because it will allow for a better transition back
into living a productive and healthy normal lifestyle. Thank you so much. Sincerely, R.J. Koerper, WATCh graduate
Community shows support for WATCh East Residents of the Georgetown/Hillcrest community and other areas of Glendive have shown
overwhelming support for the proposal to expand the WATCh East felony DUI
program from 40 to 50 beds. According to Rick Deady,
Treatment Contract Program manager for the Adult Communities Correctional
Division at the Montana Department of Corrections, 95 percent of responses to
the surveys which were mailed to 215 residents of the Georgetown/Hillcrest
subdivision and an equal number of general Glendive residents have been
positive. Last week Deady told the
Glendive City Council he was pleased with the community’s response to the
survey, pointing out that the 46 percent return rate was well above what is
considered successful by statistics experts. The survey form also left room for
comments, which will be compiled in a final report for city officials. Mayor Jerry Jimison relayed
several concerns he had heard from area residents about the survey, questioning
why it was not conducted by a neutral third party and why some
Georgetown/Hillcrest residents did not receive it. Deady said the survey had
been conducted according to the Administrative Rules of Montana, which do not
require a third party for surveys in this situation. In situations which do
require surveys to be administered by a third party, the cost is very high, he
added. Those who were missed by the mailing were simply overlooked, he
explained, saying, “It was, I believe, just an honest mistake of going through a
long list.” Five residents who had contacted the DOC were mailed surveys last
week. Any residents of the subdivision who did not receive the survey, should
contact the DOC at 444-3930, said Deady. Community members will also
have the opportunity to make comments and ask questions about the expansion at a
public hearing to be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 1 at the Dawson County
Courthouse. Deady urged people to attend, saying, “(WATCh East) is a partnership
with the city of Glendive and the community of Glendive.” WATCh East Program
Coordinator Deb Dion was pleased with the results. “I think it validates what
I’ve been saying, that this is a good program,” she said. The facility will host an
open house preceding the public hearing on May 1 from 3-5 p.m. Staff and program
participants will be on hand to answer questions and give tours of the facility.
Coffee, cookies and punch will be served. “I want people to have a chance to see
the program... I just think the more that people can get educated about
treatment... they can better understand why it is beneficial. It does benefit
public safety to treat people rather than just incarcerate them,” Dion added.
Support WATCh
Montana Standard News Services - 12/11/2008
The Corrections Department chose the Butte-based CCCS from among four
proposals. The contract calls for the state to pay a daily rate of just
over $84 per offender.
The state must still measure local support for the project before it is
built.
The 2007 Legislature authorized the creation of a prerelease center in
northwestern Montana. Prerelease centers help offenders as they
transition from prison to communities and those who can benefit from a
higher level of supervision to avoid prison.
About 800 offenders are housed in prerelease centers in Billings,
Bozeman, Butte, Great Falls, Helena and Missoula.
CCCS lone proposal for START facility near Anaconda
Montana Standard, November 14, 2008
State Bureau HELENA, published in Billings Gazette, 11/11/08
The Montana Standard, 10/21/08
I want to first say I'm sorry to those who put trust in me, Mike
Thatcher, the staff at the Pre-Release, Robert and Max from Silver Bow
Properties and my family. Meth is a monster — once it is in your system
it is impossible to control and it sucks you further down until you get
help, hit rock bottom, go to prison or die. I guess I can call myself
one of the lucky ones. I am on my way to prison with a chance for
treatment and a new life if I so choose. I do so choose, I have much to live for
and want treatment and a better life without drugs.
I just wanted to say to the people of Butte that I love this town and
I'm sorry that I was a part of the problem, not part of the solution. I
hope than after I do my treatment, rehabilitation and pay for my crime that the
city of Butte and its citizens can forgive me.
I am not a bad person and do have much to offer this community.
I write this letter with the true conviction that this is the first step
in my recovery and a better life than the one I lived for the past few
years.
Ralph Clarke Butte-Silver Bow County Detention Center 155 W. Quartz St.
Montana Standard, 10/13/08
The state Department of Corrections has requested clarification from
Community, Counseling and Correctional Services of Butte and Two Rivers
Authority of Hardin on bids the companies made to run the START Program,
a news release said.
Specifically, the department asked Two Rivers to clarify or provide
additional information about its financial stability, rate estimate,
ability to accept inmates within two months of being awarded the
contract and other points.
From CCCS, the department has asked for clarification on the daily rate
the company would charge to house state offenders.
The companies must respond to the request by Oct. 20.
The program, which CCCS operates on the Montana State Hospital at Warm
Springs campus, houses male inmates who have violated the terms of their
probations. The state is looking for a new location for the program as
the current building is slated for demolition.
CCCS, which employs 37 people at the existing START Program, has
proposed to build a new $13.5 million facility at Montana Highways 48
and 243, just east of Anaconda. Additional jobs are expected if the bid
is accepted.
CCCS officials could not be reached for comment Friday.
Two Rivers Authority would use an existing Hardin facility to house the
START Program.
Montana Standard, 08/05/08
Montana Standard, 7/23/08
Montana Standard, 6/12/08
Glendive Ranger-Review,
5/4/08
Glendive Ranger-Review,
5/4/08
Glendive Ranger-Review,
5/4/08
Glendive Ranger-Review,
4/24/08
Billings, Mont.
Glendive Ranger-Review,
4/24/08
Glendive Ranger-Review, 4/24/08
Letter to Editor:
My name is Jeff Rahr. I am writing today to ask the community of Glendive for its support in the matter of expanding the capacity for the WATCh East Program. Watch East is a program setup by the Montana Department of Corrections for felony DUI offenders. This program was established so that offenders could be rehabilitated instead of being jailed in an already defective jail system. The program will show us how to take responsibility for our actions and become a more productive citizen in We are not violent individuals. We are people from across Montana who have made some serious mistakes in our lives. I have been a member of this community for over 45 years. This program has given me a chance to be close to my family while making a transition to a better and more healthy lifestyle. I believe this program would be a benefit to all of us here in eastern Montana.
The DOC is asking to add 10 more members to this program bringing it to 50 members. DOC will be conducting
an informal meeting on this matter on May 1 at the Community Room. I would really appreciate your support.
This program could make a real difference for someone you know or possibly someone in your family. I would
be happy to respond to any concerns or comments. Please contact me at Jeff Rahr, 700 East Little St.,
Glendive, Mont. 59330.
Sincerely,
Jeff Rahr
WATCh East looks to expand
Glendive Ranger-Review, 3/27/08
Rick Deady, Treatment Contract Program Manager for the Adult Communities Correctional Division at the Montana Department of Corrections, visited with city and county officials on March 18 to discuss increasing capacity at the WATCh East felony DUI treatment facility.
Deady met with the Glendive City Council, the Dawson County commissioners, District Judge Richard Simonton, the Public Defender’s office, and Sen. Don Steinbeisser to discuss expanding capacity from 40 to 50 beds, which requires an amendment to the Administrative Rules of Montana. All of those individuals signed formal letters of support.
According to Deady, the Department of Corrections has seen a clear need for more space in treatment facilities within the state and hopes to expand capacity at both WATCh East and the WATCh West program in Warm Springs, currently a 108-bed facility, by a total of 50 beds. As a felony DUI carries a 13-month sentence and the treatment program is six months long, some offenders are turned away because their sentences would expire before treatment was complete, he explained.
WATCh East screens clients carefully, giving preference first to women and then to men from Eastern Montana. The program does not accept violent or sex offenders. “We absolutely have to look at the capacity issue... These are people who need help with alcoholism and can’t get it. We sit here with space for more people but we can’t take any more people because we are limited by the current ARM,” WATCh East Program Coordinator Deb Dion wrote in a letter proposing the changes.
Surveying local government officials, including city and county governing bodies, law enforcement personnel, the city and county attorney, and state legislators, is the first step in expanding or modifying the administrative rules. Following meetings with those groups, a representative survey must also be made of the Glendive community as a whole and of the Hillcrest and Georgetown subdivisions specifically. Deady said the department should mail out surveys within the next few weeks. If the meetings and surveys demonstrate public support, the department will then conduct a public hearing to amend the rules.
Dion proposed several other changes to the administrative rules, including greater use of outside areas with the facility’s ten-foot fence and allowing participants in the final phase of treatment to wear their own clothing as part of the transition back to their normal lives, a perk already allowed at WATCh West.
Currently, the Department is only discussing expanding capacity. Although the other rule changes may be examined in the future, Deady said having more space for treatment is seen as the greatest priority.
More than 267 people have completed the six month program at WATCH East. Only two have ever been convicted of another DUI, a 99 percent success rate. In three years, no program participant has escaped or attempted to escape. Random breathalyzer and urinary analysis test have never turned up positive for substances, and there have been zero acts of violence.
Dion concluded her proposal by saying, "We have been a good neighbor and ask for these changes so we can expand our positive contributions to the community and increase public safety by providing treatment, which improves the lives of the participants and their families. When people get treatment for their addictions, it makes Montana a safer place for everyone."
State's community correction program is working
by Brian Schweitzer
Great Falls Tribune, 3/10/08
Somebody had to say enough is enough.
Montana had the nation's sixth highest growth in prison population in both 2003 and 2004.
According to the U.S. Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics, the average annual growth in Montana's prison population in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 was 5.5 percent.
That was nearly three times the national average during that period (1.9 percent).
Previously the solution was to pour more concrete and buy more barbed wire. I knew there had to be a better way — a way that saves taxpayers money and helps those felons who can be rehabilitated get back on their feet, while still keeping the hard criminals behind bars.
So when I took office in 2005, I invested in community corrections. We have created 172 more prerelease beds in the past three fiscal years, 120 meth treatment beds were added in 2007, a 40-bed DUI treatment center opened in Glendive in 2005, and 155-bed facility opened for women in Billings, featuring a prerelease center, chemical dependency treatment program, and an assessment and sanction center.
Now the report card is in.
Late last week, Montana received some very positive news. A study from The Pew Charitable Trusts showed Montana leading all 50 states in the decrease of the number of incarcerated people last year.
The nation's overall prison population grew by 1.6 percent in 2007, while Montana's number fell 3.9 percent.
Montanans can be proud of our efforts to protect public safety, hold people accountable and help folks deal with addiction problems, mental illness or whatever is at the root of their criminal behavior.
Montana's achievement is the result of an innovative plan to increase alternatives to prison.
We have nearly 9,000 offenders on probation and parole and, every day, they continue their efforts to remain law-abiding and productive citizens.
Supervising an offender on probation or parole costs about $4 per day, compared with as much as $80 a day to keep an inmate in prison.
A recent University of Montana study showed that among the offender population in Montana, 46 percent have a mental illness and a staggering 93 percent have a substance abuse problem or a chemical dependency.
The goal of many of the new programs is to provide the kind of individualized treatment that will work at reducing the number of repeat offenders.
In 2006, Montana had 3,572 people behind bars. At the beginning of 2008, that number had gone down to 3,431. My goal and the goal of the Department of Corrections is to reserve prison cells for 20 percent of our most dangerous felons and manage the remaining 80 percent in some kind of community program.
Underlying all this is the need to maintain public safety and offender accountability.
Community corrections is allowing us to do just that and save the Montana taxpayers money.
Montana can be proud of our efforts to create a corrections system that is smart, efficient and effective in protecting public safety, ensuring offenders are accountable for their crimes and help them overcome addictions, mental health problems and lives dominated by crime.
Enough was enough.
This page was last updated on 08/05/09.
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