Just like in the general population, plenty of people in custody in Montana are choosing not to get vaccinated for COVID-19.
Thatâs the case even though jails and prisons hold people in communal living situations, making it easier for the virus to spread, and in general see more chronic health conditions. Jail and prison inmates have higher rates of hypertension, asthma, cervical cancer and hepatitis than the general population, according to a 2009 article in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.Â
The Montana Department of Corrections is seeing roughly a 50% vaccination refusal rate, according to spokeswoman Alexandria Klapmeier.
So far, 1,405 inmates across the stateâs prisons have been fully vaccinated, data provided by the department shows. That includes:
Male state prisoners to be relocated from Cascade County Prison
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Cascade County Commissioners moved to end their lawsuit against the Montana Department of Corrections (DOC) concerning underpayment for housing of male state prisoners after reaching an agreement to relocate them, opening up approximately 100 beds at the facility, during the commission meeting Tuesday morning.
As part of the mutual agreement and settlement, Cascade County Detention Center will cease operation as a Great Falls Regional Prison, DOC and the county will enter a new reimbursement agreement at a rate of $69.63/per day/per offender housed there and the county will pay DOC a sum of $1.5 million.
MT Department of Corrections plans to vacate Cascade County Detention Center
and last updated 2021-04-23 21:21:52-04
GREAT FALLS â The Montana Department of Corrections (DOC) has agreed to a request by Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter to vacate the Great Falls Regional Prison (GFRP) by June 30, 2021.
Slaughter made the request following President Joseph Bidenâs recent order for the U.S. Department of Justice to phase out its contracts with private prison companies, including CoreCivic, which owns and operates Crossroads Correctional Facility in Shelby.
âCascade County would be pleased to help the U.S. Marshals Service by accepting a portion of their federal detainees who were being held in Shelby, at our facility,â Slaughter said. âGiven that change, it seemed like a good time to approach the DOC about vacating our facility to allow for additional space to alleviate the overcrowding that has impacted public safety in the county. This allows us to av
Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter said the shake-up would also create some elbow space at the facility in Great Falls, avoiding a public safety levy going to the voters to
After a number of fights over the last year about Department of Corrections (DOC) inmates housed at the Great Falls Regional Prison (GFRP), Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter issued a release Friday stating the DOC has agreed to pull its inmates out of the facility by June 30.
The move means the entire Cascade County Detention Center (CCDC) will be housing only pre-trial inmates. Since it was designed in 1998, the GFRP side of the facility has been reserved for inmates who have been sentenced and are serving their time.
CCDC was designed to hold 372 people. According to Friday s jail roster, there are currently 454 inmates housed there.