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Officials praise Roosevelt County Jail after walk-through; commissioners consider new inmate-tracking system
Summary
County leaders said a recent peer review scored the Roosevelt County Jail about 95%, praised staff, and discussed adopting a $4,000 Guardian inmate-tracking system and placing a full-time mental-health clinician at the county aging center.
The chair reported that a recent peer-review and walkthrough of the Roosevelt County Jail produced a high score and widespread praise, and commissioners discussed technology and staffing changes the facility may pursue.
A commissioner update summarized the peer-review findings and the walk-through: "they were singing praises for the Roosevelt County Jail," the chair said, and the report showed about a 95% score with a few policy-verbiage deficiencies recommended. The commission praised jail staff and facility conditions during the discussion.
Why it matters: commissioners said the inspection results support continuing investments in facility operations and oversight. Staff described plans that could change day-to-day jail management—both equipment and human services—that would affect detainee oversight and local budgets.
During the discussion, a staff member explained the facility’s nominal capacity and current staffing pressures. "I think it's 55," the staff member said when asked about maximum capacity, adding that "48 is kinda what they consider pretty much full," and reporting the jail was running in the low-to-mid 40s the week discussed.
Commissioners and staff also discussed equipment and program proposals. The chair noted the facility’s body-scanner installed a few years earlier has been an important operational asset. Staff described a proposed Guardian tracking system, saying, "It's $4,000 to do it and $4,000 a year to maintain it," and asked to obtain a formal estimate for possible inclusion in upcoming budgets.
Separately, staff reported a mental-health update: Miles City Mental Health is expected to place a full-time clinician in Roosevelt County within about three months; the clinician will be housed at the Roosevelt County aging center, though the clinician’s focus and exact duties were not yet specified.
What’s next: staff will seek cost estimates for the Guardian system and provide budget information to commissioners; no formal procurement decision was made at the meeting.
The commission moved on to other agenda items after the update.
