Frequently Asked Questions
Back to Top
- What is the Department of Corrections' annual budget?
- The total budget for July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2007 is approximately $141 million. This amount covers about 13,200 adult males and females in prisons, treatment programs or pre-release centers, or on probation or parole, or on intensive supervision. It also includes about 220 juvenile offenders in correctional facilities or on parole.
- What portion of the State's budget goes to the Department of Corrections?
- The department's appropriation was 9.4 percent of the total general fund budget for fiscal year 2007.
- How much of the department’s budget is spent on secure custody programs?
- About 49 percent of the department’s fiscal year 2006 budget was spent on secure custody and 25 percent was spent on community corrections.
- Where are offenders managed?
- About 78 percent of offenders are in programs outside of prison and about 82 percent of those offenders are on probation or parole.
- How much does it cost to keep an inmate in a Montana prison?
- It costs about $76 per day to incarcerate an adult male at Montana State Prison and about $80 per day for an adult female at Montana Women's Prison. These expenses include all department costs, such as medical, dental and overhead. Costs at the contract facilities are just under $60. The per-day cost at a prerelease center is $52 for males and about $75 for females. The daily cost of supervision on probation or parole is about $4.
- Why are incarceration costs higher at Montana State Prison and Montana Women’s Prison than at contracted facilities?
- Montana State Prison and Montana Women’s Prison provide services that are not available to same degree in contracted facilities. This includes medical, mental health and dental care; education; and inmate work programs. Also, two state prisons are the only facilities capable of housing maximum-security and other higher-custody inmates, along with the most elderly and infirm inmates.
- What is Montana’s recidivism rate?
- The rate at which adult male offenders return to a correctional institution within three years of release is about 48 percent. The rate for adult females is 47 percent. The national rate is about 67 percent.
- Do offenders in correctional facilities have to work?
- Many offenders in prison or at prerelease centers are working, attending educational programs, participating in treatment programs, or some combination of the above. About 70 percent of the 1,500 inmates at Montana State Prison and 58 percent of those in contracted facilities are involved in work, education or programming. About 90 percent of the women at Montana Women's Prison are involved in educational or vocational programs. Offenders in prerelease programs are expected to work in order to stay in the program.
- How much do inmates get paid?
- Average wage is 45 cents an hour.
- Do offenders have to contribute to their care?
- Some of the wages earned by prison inmates go to pay for basic hygiene supplies, victim restitution, fines, family or child support, and other expenses. Offenders in prerelease centers contribute up to $12 per day for their room and board, buy their own clothes, and pay restitution and fines.
- What is minimum, medium, close and maximum security?
- All Montana prisons use six levels of custody classification to assess the amount of risk posed by an offender. This assessment includes criminal and institutional violence history, program needs, and supervision requirements. These levels dictate the degree to which an inmate's movements are restricted. Minimum and medium each contain two levels of custody. Minimum indicates the lowest risk and the least restriction on movement. Medium is a step up in risk and restriction. Close custody represents higher risk and more restriction in movement. Maximum is the highest risk classification and the greatest restriction.
- Do inmates have access to e-mail so they can correspond with family and friends?
- No, they do not. Inmates may only correspond by regular mail and collect phone calls.
- What is the average age of inmates in Montana?
- The average age of female offenders in Montana prisons is 36 years old. The average age of male offenders in Montana prisons is 37 years old.
- Do correctional officers carry guns?
- Most do not, although some assigned to certain posts are armed. Montana prisons have a detailed Use of Force and Firearms policy that authorizes specific posts to carry firearms. All officers are trained in this policy and required to qualify annually on authorized firearms. Other than the situations authorized in policy, most firearms are kept in a facility’s armory.
- What do offenders in correctional facilities eat?
- A balanced diet consisting of three full meals a day is offered to all offenders housed in Montana prison facilities. A licensed dietician is on staff to ensure a properly balanced diet is maintained.
- What medical care do inmates receive?
- Montana State Prison has a fully staffed infirmary with services including medical, dental and vision. Powell County provides for critical and long-term care needs of the offenders in its modern, fully staffed hospital. The Montana Women’s Prison contracts with a community clinic for a full range of medical care and uses private physicians and local hospitals as necessary. Crossroads Correctional Center has its own infirmary, nurses and medical director, and contracts with local doctors for additional care. The Cascade County Regional Prison and Missoula Assessment and Sanction Center contract with a private provider for nursing services, and obtain service from local doctors as needed. Dawson County Regional Prison has its own medical staff and contracts with local doctors and hospital for additional care.
- What kinds of treatment programs are available for inmates?
- Programs include a sex offender program, chemical dependency treatment, anger management, parenting skills, and cognitive restructuring. A criminal-thinking program helps offenders determine what is wrong with their thinking and make changes.
- What are the most frequent offenses for which offenders are sentenced?
- Among men, drug possession, theft, felony drunken driving, burglary and sale of drugs are the most common. Drug possession, theft, issuing a bad check, forgery and drug sales are the most common among women.
- What is Montana’s incarceration rate?
- The rate in 2006 was 360 for every 100,000 residents. Montana’s rate ranks 30th in the nation.
