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| Montana Inmate Reviews Continue; 142 Released So Far |
| By Billings Gazette |
| Published: 10/14/2002 |
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The Montana Department of Corrections is keeping more inmates than it's releasing as part of a prisoner-release program launched this fall to save money. So far, said Corrections Director Bill Slaughter, the department has screened about 500 prisoners eligible for the program and released only 142. Slaughter said he personally screened 40 more prospects October 3 and denied release to half of them. Of the 142 inmates released to date, the department has let out 100 men and 42 women. Five of those released have wound up back in prison, Slaughter said. Only one committed a new crime. The other four broke the rules of their release. Facing a shrunken budget and an increasing prisoner population, the department estimated this summer it would run $9 million in the red this year if something didn't change. To cut costs, the agency laid off a few employees and launched a 'conditional release program' for some inmates. Only inmates sentenced to the department itself, not directly to prison by a judge, are eligible. The department hopes to release as many as 450. Slaughter said he originally hoped to have 150 inmates out by the end of last month. They're running a little bit behind. Prisoners are not capriciously released, he said. To be selected, an inmate must first be selected by prison officials, who pass their decisions on to the prison warden. Slaughter makes the final decision. The convicts do not merely walk away. They are transferred to parole, pre-release centers and other corrections programs. Slaughter said he's not going to pressure corrections workers to release inmates any faster, even if the department is behind schedule. |
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