Prison construction starts as legislators approve more money for expansion
A ceremonial groundbreaking took place Tuesday on three low-security housing facilities at the Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge, the result of $156 million allocated by the 2023 Legislature, as lawmakers this year have approved proposals with an additional $436 million for further expansion aimed at addressing overcrowding.
The new buildings will replace three of the four existing low-security units and increase the prison’s overall capacity by 117. The contracted firms, DLR Group and Sletten Construction, expect to finish the project in October 2027.
According to the Montana Department of Corrections, the 1,553 inmates at the state prison exceed the facility’s operational capacity by 27. Just over 600 Montana men are currently imprisoned out of state, with 60% of the total in Arizona and 40% in Mississippi. Other inmates are currently serving their sentence in local jails as they wait for available prison space.
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