Montana Inmate Search Guide

Montana Arrest Records and Warrant Search

Please fill in the form below to begin your Montana criminal records search

By searching you certify that you are above 18 years of age

Montana Inmate Records

These records pertain to offenders within the state, starting from the point of arrest. They include initial intake paperwork, mugshots, fingerprints, police reports, court hearings, trials, and sentencing. If the person goes to prison or jail, the record continues with incarceration details. The standard information in these records includes the offender’s name, date of birth, gender, age, race, physical description, details about crimes, sentencing, incarceration, and parole and probation.

Montana Prison and Jail System

Montana has five state prisons, one for women only, and another for youth offenders. The Montana Department of Corrections manages all facilities and inmates. Each year about 1,250 offenders enter the penal system in Montana. Another 8,500 are supervised on parole or probation. The state of Montana also contracts with 17 privately owned prisons that hold state offenders. The state also has various county jail facilities that hold pretrial inmates and those serving short sentences.

Types of Jails in Montana

The state has 2 State Prisons, 3 Private/Regional Prisons, 1 Youth Correctional Facility, 1 Youth Transition Center, 54 County Jails, and 1 County Juvenile Detention Center.

How to Search for Inmates in Montana

The Montana Department of Corrections has a search feature on its website that the public can use to find someone incarcerated in the state and read details about them. You can enter the first and last name or the offender’s DOC ID. The additional details include a mugshot, where they are located, height, weight, right or left-handed, citizenship, and basic details of their crimes along with a court docket number. Apart from the inmate’s biodata and the nature of the offense, an inmate search would show you an offender’s possible release date. The Montana Department of Corrections processes different types of criminals daily and puts them in various state prisons. Interested people can look for an inmate detained in many correctional facilities under the Montana Department of Corrections by using the state prisoner lookup, where they can perform free online inmate searches or use the form above.

Montana Department of Corrections

The Montana Department of Corrections is in charge of all correctional and detention facilities in Montana, including all probation, parole, and rehabilitation centers. Its primary functions are to help victims of crime, support inmates under supervision within Montana, and ensure that inmates in all prisons get good preparation for re-entry into the community upon release. The department’s work is wide, varied, and done with passion and professionalism. It is committed to providing evidence-based programming in all areas of its field as it tries to disrupt the cycle of imprisonment by reducing recidivism in Montana State.

Programs and Services

The Department of Corrections and its partners implemented evidence-based programs, which is the only way to determine if an inmate is likely to repeat a crime upon release from jail. The Department of Corrections uses the correctional program checklist to confirm whether the program is rooted in its best practices. Furthermore, a commitment to EBP requires measurable outcomes, including victim satisfaction and a recidivism rate, before the program can appear on the list of approved evidence-based programs.

Enhanced/ Transitional Supervision Services

Transitional supervision services focus primarily on inmates returning to the community or incarcerated individuals who are not compliant with the management conditions and require extra monitoring. Montana State has three service areas for the above services, with three additional pending stations.

Probation and Parole

The Montana State Department of Corrections has about 10,500 inmates in the community. Courts or the parole and pardon boards release these inmates under strict conditions they must follow. The probation and parole division is responsible for managing these inmates and helping them succeed in reintegration into the community.

Interstate Compact 

The interstate compact is a firm that manages the movement of individuals from state to state for reasons like specialized supervision. Offenders who fall under this category include those in Montana state but from other states and Montana state residents detained in other states. The Montana Department of Corrections has 1500 inmates falling under this group.

How to Contact, Send Money to or Visit an Inmate in Montana

The warden must approve all visitors before they are allowed to visit an inmate in Montana. Only immediate family and some close friends are allowed to visit. The state allows only prepaid and collect phone calls for inmates. Inmates are allowed to receive mail. The DOC allows friends and family to send inmates money by phone, mail, or online.

Facilities

The Montana Department of Corrections comprises several facilities, including 23 probation and parole offices, 2400 secure prisons, 17 state-contracted facilities, and four state-owned facilities. It accommodates several people, including 1300 employees and 15,000 incarcerated individuals under the Montana Department of corrections. Being the third largest department in the Montana state government, the Montana Department of corrections has a yearly budget of 228 million dollars.

Events in Montana’s Prisons

A significant event that drew international attention was the riots at the Old Montana Prison in Deer Lodge in 1959, which is now recognized as a Museum Complex. This violent uprising resulted in the death of Deputy Warden Ted Rothe. Instigators of the riot, Jerry Myles and Lee Smart, led a faction of 12 inmates and held a total of 23 individuals captive, comprising of 18 prison staff and five informer inmates. This incident highlighted the issue of overcrowding in the prison on a national level. The riot culminated in a tragic end when Myles and Smart were discovered deceased, with indications pointing towards a murder-suicide. Source: The Old Montana Prison Museum? Here’s What to Know

Another big event was the release of a report by Western Native Voice and the Prison Policy Initiative in October 2022, which provided an in-depth look at where people incarcerated in Montana state prisons come from. The analysis revealed that nearly every county lacks a part of its population due to state prison confinement. Source: New data reveals where people in Montana prisons come from.

A partial list of Montana prisons and jails

  1. Montana State Prison: 400 Conley Lake Road, Deer Lodge, MT 59722. Main Line: (406) 415-6126. This facility houses nearly 1,600 male inmates in a secure, 68-acre compound.
  2. Montana Women’s Prison: 701 South 27th Street, Billings, MT 59101. Phone: (406)-247-5100.
  3. Pine Hills Correctional Facility: 4 N Haynes Ave, Miles City, MT 59301. Phone: (406) 232-1377.
  4. Riverside Special Needs Unit: 2 Riverside Road, Boulder, MT 59632. Phone: (406) 225-4500.
  5. Missoula Assessment & Sanction Center (MASC): 2340 Mullan Road, Missoula, MT. Phone: (406) 258-4000.
  6. Missoula Prerelease Center: 2350 Mullan Road, Missoula, MT 59801. Phone: (406) 541-9200.
  7. WATCh West – Warm Springs: P.O. Box G, Xanthopoulos Building, Warm Springs, MT 59756. Phone: (406) 693-2272.
  8. Connections Corrections Program (CCP West): Orofino Way, Anaconda, MT 59756. Phone: (406) 693-2272.
  9. Sanction, Treatment, Assessment & Revocation Center (START): 801 Highway 48 PO Box 1389, Anaconda, MT, 59711. Main Line: (406) 563-7002.
  10. Butte Prerelease Center: 62 West Broadway, Butte, MT, 59701. Main Line: (406) 782-2316 / (406) 496-5070.
  11. Great Falls Prerelease Center: 1019 15th St N Great Falls, MT 59401. Main Line: (406) 727-0944.
  12. Alpha House Prerelease Center: 3109 1st Avenue North Billings, MT 59101. Main Line: (406) 259-9695.
  13. Gallatin County Reentry Program: 1100 Conley Lake Road, Deer Lodge, MT 59722 Main Line: (406) 846-1320.
  14. Elkhorn Treatment Center: Contracted facility. Address: 1 Riverside Road Boulder, Montana, 59632. Phone: 406-447-5300.
  15. Helena Prerelease Center: Contracted facility. Address: 805 Colleen Street Helena, Montana, 59601. Phone: 406-442-6572.
  16. Crossroads Correctional Center: Contracted facility. Address: 50 Crossroads Dr. Shelby, Montana, 59474. Phone: 406-434-7055.
  17. Nexus Treatment Center: Contracted facility. Address: Skyline Drive Lewistown, Montana, 59457. Phone: 406-535-6660.
  18. Passages – Prerelease Center, Assessment, Sanction & Revocation Center and Alcohol & Drug Treatment (ADT): Contracted facility. Address: 1001 South 27th Street. Phone: (406) 541-9200.
  19. Dawson County Correctional Facility: Contracted facility. Address: 440 Colorado Boulevard Glendive, Montana, 59330. Phone: 406-377-7600.
  20. Cascade County Regional Detention Center: 3800 Ulm N Frontage Rd Great Falls.

More information about these facilities is on the Montana Department of Corrections website here.