DOC narrows women’s prison siting to three state‑owned campuses, eyes community engagement

Eric Strauss, director of the Montana Department of Corrections, told the Interim Building Committee on Facilities that a consultant‑led site assessment and a statewide request for information produced roughly 10 candidate locations and that three DOC‑owned campuses rose to the top: the main campus in Deer Lodge, the Riverside site in Boulder and Pine Hills in Miles City. Strauss said the department is likely to pare that list to two sites for more detailed study and will share the finalized assessment with the committee.

Strauss said cost and existing on‑site infrastructure were primary factors in ranking sites. "Looking at what's available on‑site already to get us part of the way to a solution was a big consideration for us," he said, noting that adapting existing DOC facilities can drive down construction costs compared with building from scratch.

On capacity, Strauss said DOC projects a long‑term target of about 400 beds for the female population and described operational options, including maintaining capacity across multiple campuses or concentrating more beds at a single larger site. "If we got to 150 in [Boulder] in theory, we would have 400 beds available for the female population," he said, describing the department’s current distribution of beds and planned expansions.

Committee members urged DOC to plan for potential future needs beyond the immediate appropriation. One member recommended maximizing capacity now while funds are available; another asked the department to plan for 450–500 beds in future decades. Strauss acknowledged that the appropriation represented "a one‑time generational investment" and said the department wants to avoid returning repeatedly to the Legislature for funding.

Strauss identified next steps as finalizing the site assessment report, sharing it with the committee, conducting community engagement for chosen site(s) and beginning conversations with A&E on what a design‑build solution would look like for expanded female capacity. He also reminded members of a reporting requirement tied to House Bill 833 and said DOC would provide the committee with the required report on the HB 833 item referenced in the briefing.

The committee did not take formal action; Strauss said the report and subsequent public outreach are the next procedural steps.