The non-profit corporation organized under the laws of the state of Montana was formed by a group of local citizens concerned with the treatment received by offenders sentenced to correctional institutions. These citizens, many of whom currently remain on CCCS' Board of Directors, were particularly concerned about the lack of preparations made to assist offenders re-entering society upon completion of their sentences. The efforts of this group and the start-up costs for the program were largely funded through the Department of Institutions.
We started as the Butte Pre-Release Center, Inc., which opened its doors December 24, 1983 to receive four Montana State Prison inmates. At the time, the pre-release center was a 30-bed community-based residential facility for adult male offenders; we then had 13 employees.
On July 1, 1987, the pre-release center expanded its program to a 40-bed facility. This was possible through the combined efforts of the Board of Directors, Department of Corrections, and Montana State Legislature. During that year, the Board of Directors purchased properties adjacent to the pre-release center. This building has since been renovated to include space for Life Skills / Educational Classes, Cognitive Principles and Restructuring (CP&R), Anger Management, and Parenting classes, among others.
In December 1988, The Board of Directors purchased the existing pre-release facility, The Cohn Building, from a bank in Glasgow, Montana. The acquisition opened a new era for privately operated pre-release centers in Montana; this purchase was the first by a privately run non-profit corporation. The facility received a complete renovation, including carpeting, painting, and a complete cosmetic repair of the outside facade.
In July 1992, CCCS expanded its community corrections operations through development and implementation of the Women's Transitional Center. This program has been designed to specifically address those issues unique to the female offender in today's society.
Our pre-release programs in Butte, Montana have grown from a 30-bed men's program in 1983 to the current 144-bed Butte Pre-Release Center for adult male offenders. Additionally, we have expanded from the original 25-bed Women's Transition Center that opened in 1992, to a 65-bed facility for adult female offenders.
One of the highlights of our operations is that both of these facilities are American Correctional Association (ACA) accredited, which distinguishes us from other community correctional facilities in that since 1996, CCCS is the only facility of this type in Montana to achieve this honor.
CCCS expanded into the juvenile field with the November 1999 opening of Martin Hall Juvenile Detention Facility in Medical Lake, Washington.
In 2002, CCCS successfully responded to a competitive RFP issued by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) to design, build, finance, and operate a 60-bed secure detention facility at Galen, Montana. The total cost for this project was $9.6 million. This flagship facility was a huge undertaking for our corporation; however, it has proven to not only have been a good business decision, but, more importantly, is recognized as one of the finest juvenile correctional facilities in the country. This facility has received ACA accreditation typifying CCCS' commitment to be held to the highest correctional standards in all our facilities.
In December 2002, in response to a competitive bid, CCCS was selected to design and operate a modified therapeutic community, the WATCh Program, on the Warm Springs, Montana State Hospital Campus. The WATCh Program, which has grown to a 156-bed facility, is a six-month intensive cognitive behavioral-based modified therapeutic community that assists Family Members (offenders) in developing those skills necessary to create pro-social change, reduce anti-social thinking, address criminal behavior patterns, and the negative effects of chemical addiction while integrating more fully into society. This partnership with the Montana Department of Corrections (MDOC) demonstrates a pro-active response to the growing number of 4th and subsequent DUI offenders in the Montana criminal justice system. The therapeutic community model that is utilized at the WATCh Program has been found quite effective in reducing drug abuse and criminal recidivism.
In February 2005, MDOC allowed CCCS the opportunity to expand into the Glendive, Montana area with the activation of WATCh East, a 40-bed co-ed facility also using a modified therapeutic community (TC) model to treat 4th or subsequent DUI offenders referred by MDOC.
CCCS' diversification and experience in administering substance abuse programs is not limited to the TC model. Since 1998, we have administered the Connections Corrections Program in Butte, Montana. This 52-bed residential program delivers services for male offenders in an intense, 60-day, community setting. Because of the successful outcomes that we have demonstrated, in the fall of 2005, MDOC requested an expansion of this model by 52 additional contract beds at the WATCh facility located in Warm Springs, Montana. Collectively, these two programs provide 104 specialized addictions treatment beds for MDOC.
CCCS also operates an adult male transition center in Bismarck, North Dakota. In Fall 2005, we received notification that CCCS was the successful respondent to a competitive RFP that was issued by the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (ND DOCR), to provide 47 additional parole violator and assessment / sanction beds for their agency. With the 2006 Summer completion expansion of the facility, the Bismarck Transition Center, now has the capacity to house 150 residents.
In December 2005, we were successful in developing a partnership with MDOC to open and operate START, an 80-bed assessment / sanction center located at Warm Springs, Montana, and also a 32-bed re-entry facility in Bozeman, Montana (Gallatin County) that is a joint partnership between MDOC, Gallatin County, and CCCS.
In April 2006, we were successful in our bid to MDOC to provide a methamphetamine treatment program in Lewistown, Montana. The 80-bed men's treatment center serves those offenders convicted a second-time (or more) of methamphetamine possession. This program is called Nexus, which means connecting or linking services. It started accepting its first adult male offenders on June 1, 2007.
In April 2007, CCCS began operating Discovery House, a short-term shelter home for troubled youth between the ages of 10 to 18, who are in need of care and supervision. This program serves Deer Lodge, Granite, Powell, Silver Bow, Beaverhead, and Madison counties.
In our 30 years of service, we have expanded our operations to include 14 different facilities; these are located in three states: Montana, Washington, and North Dakota. We have grown from 13 employees to 559 full and part-time employees.
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