State Corrections director Brian Gootkin says the Riverside facility has nearly cleared the backlog of female inmates waiting in county jails for beds at the Montana Women’s Prison in Billings.
The facility in Boulder has 50 beds, and ongoing renovations will add 60 more beds. Regardless, Gootkin says the state still needs a new women’s prison.
“I think the total amount of beds is 400, that we’re looking at, that we’ve had our projects with. But again, this is 100 of those,” Gootkin says.
The Riverside facility between Helena and Butte previously operated as a special needs unit for the state’s prison system. Most recently, it housed geriatric male inmates.
But in May, those inmates were transferred back to Deer Lodge and 50 women were moved to Riverside. It’s seen as a step up from Billings. Inmates are moved there based on good behavior.
The state is also contracting out-of-state, private prisons to add capacity. Six hundred inmates were transferred to facilities in Mississippi and Arizona.
Gov. Gianforte says the state is still considering a few locations for a new women’s prison. An expansion of the Montana State Prison is underway.
