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Hardin Jail Population Drops To 0

A bill asking for the end of capital punishment was voted down.
Courtesy Two Rivers Authority
A look inside the Hardin detention facility.

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Two Rivers jail in Hardin that had as many as 250 inmates at its peak of operations is now in standby mode after its cells were emptied this week.

The Billings Gazette reports that the jail had no inmates on Monday. The facility has struggled to find inmate contracts for revenue since the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs dropped its contract in October.

Warden Ken Keller says the jail is now operating with six security officers and four administrators. There were about 39 employees a month ago.

After the BIA's contract ended, the jail contracted with Williams County in North Dakota. But now the county is expanding its own facility.

Emerald Correctional Management, which began operating the jail in 2014, is hoping for a new deal with the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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