Matt Brown of the Associated Press in Billings is investigating the treatment of people who live with mental illness in the State Prison. Please contact Mr. Brown if you have information that would be helpful. His phone number is (406) 896-1528 and email is:mbrown AT apDOTorg. »

Cutting the two Corrections Department councils will save about $18,000 over a two-year period, she said. The money pays for staff support time, travel costs and per-diem payments to citizen members of the council. »

"They offer an inmate a parole board meeting before they are eligible. If the inmate isn’t aware of this when he shows up they flip them for a full year or two if they are exceptionally early. That way they can set the budget and count on that income for the next year or... »

Connections is gearing up for 2010 and we would like your opinions and input, as to what the priorities should be as we move forward. We look forward to your input and help in creating “positives changes” and a better, more efficient criminal justice system for MT. Thank you. »

Our prisons are full because intake exceeds outflow. The bottleneck in the system seems to be the Board of Pardons and Parole. No matter how statistics are manipulated, research shows there are approximately 600 inmates who, as their duly elected sentencing judges planned, are eligible for parole right now... »

"We're not denying that this happens," said Amanda Copeland, executive director of research and technology for the state Corrections Department. "We would be foolish to say that it never happens. We're just questioning the extent to which it's being reported" by the Justice Department. But the survey "gives us something to work with. Whether... »

What a waste of breath it is to continue insisting that there's some sort of impregnable federal barrier that makes medical marijuana impossible. It's plainly wrong, and not even worthy of being debated. Anyone who says that is just a stubborn and desperate obstructionist who can't even come up with a single real reason... »

It's becoming more and more apparent that former UK drug policy advisor David Nutt is a really cool guy… »

“The PLRA was passed to curb what were thought to be frivolous lawsuits but it has instead slammed shut the doors of the courthouse to our country’s prisoners who have suffered true and legitimate harm,” said Michael Macleod-Ball, Acting Director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office. “Prisoners can suffer torture, unsanitary conditions and degrading... »

There's a jail out of town with fences so high we won't think about who's inside. ... They'll make gadgets, circuit boards or fix cars. and It don't matter who they are. »