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Lawmakers hear $250 million proposal to plan and reserve funds for a new women's prison
Summary
Rep. John Fitzpatrick and Department of Corrections witnesses told the Senate Finance and Claims committee that Montana lacks sufficient beds for female inmates and that House Bill 833 would set aside $250 million for planning, interim conversions and construction of a new women's facility.
Representative John Fitzpatrick opened the first hearing by describing what he called a severe capacity shortage for incarcerated women across Montana and introduced House Bill 833 as a $250 million reserve to fund a new women's prison.
Fitzpatrick said the Billings women's prison is over capacity and that the state typically has between 50 and 80 women held in county jails awaiting placement. HB 833 would create a savings account-style appropriation of $250,000,000 with three construction approaches to be evaluated: state‑built/state‑owned, state‑leased from a…
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