Further Renovations at Montana Women’s Facility Will Double Capacity

Photo: Montana Department of Corrections Director Brian Gootkin (second from right) and Gov. Greg Gianforte (right) speak with inmates at the Riverside Correctional Facility. | Photo Credit: Courtesy of Montana Department of Corrections

By Charlie Lange

BOULDER, MONT. – On Aug. 26, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte and Department of Corrections Director Brian Gootkin toured the Riverside Correctional Facility, which had been renovated and repurposed to accommodate 50 female inmates who had been held at the overcrowded Montana Women’s Prison (MWP) in Billings earlier this year.

During the visit, state officials also introduced plans to use a portion of a $246 prison funding bill to renovate another facility on the Riverside campus to add an additional 50 to 60 beds, doubling its already expanded capacity.

Background

Formerly known as the Riverside Special Needs Unit, the facility outside of Boulder, Mont., previously held about 25 male inmates with long-term medical needs. In May, the DOC moved those inmates to the Montana State Prison (MSP) and brought females inmates into the repurposed Riverside facility.

On top of overcrowding at the MWP, some of the state’s county facilities had also been stretched by the need to house additional female inmates while longer-term accommodations are arranged.

“Montana Women’s Prison is over capacity, and has been for a while,” Gootkin said at the time. “Not only does that affect the DOC, but it creates capacity concerns for county detention centers which hold our inmates until we can find room for them in prison. Repurposing Riverside allows for some relief in both of those areas.”

To accommodate its new population of female inmates, who are considered low risk and have a history of good conduct, the Riverside facility required only minor renovations. On Aug. 26 , Gootkin said those inmates who had been moved from MWP and county facilities to the upgraded Riverside facility were happy with the transition, particularly due to its more extensive program offerings.

“This is the incentive: You want to come here, and so therefore you have to behave, you have to be programming,” said Gootkin.

Next Steps

Now, state leaders are planning to upgrade other buildings on the Riverside campus to more than double its current bed count and house the remaining female inmates currently held in county facilities.

The DOC is currently developing plans for renovations with the Montana Department of Administration’s Architecture and Engineering Division. Work will include site security enhancements, renovation of an unoccupied building for additional bed capacity and renovation of two other buildings for expanded medical services, programming space, work opportunities and administration.

While costs for the work have not yet been determined, funding will come out of House Bill 833, a $246 million package slated for corrections projects signed by Gianforte earlier this year.

During a press event at Riverside on Aug. 26 , Gianforte told local news outlets that these moves could provide a solution to the housing needs of one quarter of the 400 female inmates across its facilities.

In addition to the work at Riverside, the DOC is also currently underway on a $156 million project to build new low-security units at the MSP, which will add more than 100 beds to the 1,500-bed facility in Deer Lodge, Mont. Funding for the MSP project was approved in 2023 and construction started in April of this year. On Aug. 26, Gianforte confirmed that the project, headed by DLR Group and Sletten Construction, is on track for completion in October 2027.

“We are extremely thankful for the support we have received in the last two legislative sessions from Governor Gianforte and Montana legislators to make generational changes addressing the department’s ongoing overcrowding concerns,” Director Gootkin told Correctional News.

“Not only are we undertaking significant infrastructure projects at our men’s facility, but funding allocated through the Future of Corrections Fund allows us to expand our female inmate capacity at Riverside as we develop a longer-term plan to effectively manage our female population.”