Department of Corrections moves female inmates to repurposed facility in Boulder
A correctional officer removes an inmate's shackles upon arrival at Riverside. (Courtesy DOC)
The Montana Department of Corrections on Monday moved 50 inmates form the Montana Women's Prison in Billings to the former Riverside Special Needs Unit in Boulder, according to a press release from the department.
The move is intended to alleviate overcrowding in the state's correctional facilities.
Following Monday's move, the Women's Prison in Billings has a population of 200, according to the state's secure facility dashboard, while DOC officials say another 62 female inmates are awaiting placement from county jails. The DOC stated that 47 of those inmates in county jails have been waiting for transfer to the prison for more than 30 days, but expects to move them to the Billings facility by the end of the month.
The Riverside Facility in Boulder was most recently used as a unit of the Montana State Prison for male inmates with serious, long-term medical needs. The facility housed 25 inmates, who were transferred to the state prison earlier this month, according to DOC.
The facility underwent minor renovations to accommodate the larger population of female inmates.
Representatives from DOC did not immediately respond to calls or emails asking about the extent of the renovations or changes to staffing levels at the facility.
Overcrowding has been a growing issue among Montana's correctional facilities, and the state has resorted to sending hundreds of inmates to privately run prisons in other states in order to make do.
Under contracts with CoreCivic, a private prison operator, Montana currently has 239 inmates in the Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility in Mississippi, and 364 in the Saguaro Correctional Facility in Arizona.
Despite the out-of-state transfers, several Montana facilities remain over capacity. A CoreCivic run facility in Shelby, has 768 inmates but an operational capacity of 753. A federal jury recently found CoreCivic liable for failing to protect an inmate in that facility from a beating, and awarded the victim nearly $28 million.
Among state-run facilities, the Montana State Prison is 58 inmates over capacity, with a current population of 1,594.
Montana's community correctional facilities include another 1,616 individuals in treatment centers, prerelease centers, and assessment and sanction centers.
During the 2025 Legislative Session, lawmakers appropriated $436 million to address capacity issues throughout the state.
House Bill 833, sponsored by Rep. John Fitzpatrick, R-Anaconda, proposes spending roughly $250 million to construct a new women's prison or renovate an existing facility. That bill is awaiting action from Gov. Greg Gianforte, a Republican.
Fitzpatrick also included DOC funding in the state's long-range building appropriations bill, House Bill 5, including $171 million for expansions at the Montana State Prison.
On April 29, Gianforte, Fitzpatrick, and DOC Director Brian Gootkin held a groundbreaking ceremony for a $156 million infrastructure project to build more housing units at the state prison, a project that was funded during the 2023 Legislative Session.
'We are extremely thankful for the support of Governor Gianforte and the members of the Montana Legislature to provide us with a generational investment to modernize and expand our correctional infrastructure,' Gootkin said in a press release. 'Not only will we have the capacity we need to accommodate our inmate population, but we will be able to provide a safer, healthier work environment for our employees.'
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