Some lawmakers, in light of the scarcity of employees, have suggested using the National Guard to augment staffing until the workforce levels out.
Updating results
"I'm at the point where I have very grave concerns about what's happening at the prison, particularly with morale, continued loss of correctional officers," a legislator said.
“We are pleased to provide a well-deserved pay increase to our correctional officers at MSP,” DOC Director Brian Gootkin said in a press release Thursday.
After a state hearing officer found that a former Department of Corrections employee was not dismissed due to retaliation, the state Human Rights Commission overturned that decision and remanded the issue back to the hearing officer for consideration of damages the employee is owed.
Along with a range of services, training and restrictions on solitary confinement, the settlement also requires an independent monitor be appointed to ensure the terms are carried out.
"We are never fully staffed in a shift," Montana State Prison Warden Jim Salmonsen said.
“Creating treatment opportunities in rural Montana is critical to diverting folks from the criminal justice system,” Department of Corrections Director Brian Gootkin said.
Prison officials said correctional officers found Edward A. Bailey, 40, unresponsive in his cell on Sept. 20. Jeremy B. Cramer, 47, was also found unresponsive in his cell on Sept. 28.
"If we could look at increasing the wage to something reasonable, that would be a very good start for this and help out these officers," the prison warden said.
Ryan Gustin, a spokesperson for CoreCivic, said Monday morning the prison's water system was fully operational as of Saturday.
Department of Corrections Director Brian Gootkin said Thursday no jobs will be eliminated in the restructuring, while new posts, including a chief financial officer, were repurposed from existing vacancies.
Law enforcement agencies swapped 65 state inmates from Great Falls Regional Prison to the private prison near Shelby this week.
Montana is on track to ink a new contract with the private prison near Shelby by the end of the month, a deal that's come together under an different landscape than previous negotiations.
A 50-year-old inmate at the Montana Women's Prison died Tuesday, according to the Montana Department of Corrections. Billings police and the Yellowstone County coroner are investigating the death.
"This is a good start to criminal justice reform in the sense of meaningful and uniform sentencing," Rep. Jimmy Patelis, R-Billings, said.
The Montana State Prison saw its most recent COVID-19 cases in March.
To date, 487 inmates at Montana State Prison and 182 employees have contracted the virus. Six have died after testing positive for COVID-19.
A legislative budget panel Friday voted against funding for new district court judges in Gallatin and Flathead counties.
On a unanimous vote, the state Senate on Thursday approved Brian Gootkin to run the state Department of Corrections.
"There's been kind of a lack of communication," Rep. Ryan Lynch, D-Butte, told the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday.
State agency directors nominated by Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte will receive more pay than their predecessors who worked under Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock.
Gootkin has been with the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office for 27 years and been sheriff since 2012.
Beginning Friday, Montanans can legally posses up to one ounce of marijuana, grow up to four marijuana plants at their homes and transport it freely within the state.
Beginning Friday, Montanans can legally posses up to one ounce of marijuana, grow up to four marijuana plants at their homes and transport it freely within the state.
The Gallatin County Sheriff's Office received a report of the shooting incident Saturday at 4:27 p.m.