Montana legislators last month approved a $6 million allocation to reimburse counties for temporarily housing state inmates, an urgent issue in Jefferson County.
Sponsored by Rep. Tracy Sharp (R-Polson), to address overcrowding at state prisons, House Bill 643 passed with near-unanimity in April and now awaits the governor’s signature. Every day, around 100 people are held in county detention centers while awaiting transfer to a state facility, according to the bill, which expects this number to increase 20 percent each year.
Under 2023 legislation, the Department of Corrections pays counties $82.80 per day or 10 percent less than the daily per-inmate rate for Crossroads Correctional Center in Shelby, whichever is higher.
