The ACLU of Montana is concerned about reports that Montana will not only renew its private prison contract with CoreCivic but will increase the number of people incarcerated at the Shelby facility by crowding more people into existing cells.
Although the Biden Administration has announced its intention to terminate private prison contracts, officials in Montana plan to simply swap federally incarcerated people at CoreCivic Crossroads Correction Center with state incarcerated people currently held in the Great Falls Regional Prison (GFRP).
We are troubled by reports that to accommodate the additional people at the Shelby prison, CoreCivic will install extra beds in cells designed for two people. Currently, some of the cells already hold three people, contributing to overcrowding in the prison.
“As the federal government signals an effort to wean our country off of mass incarceration and private prisons, Montana officials have seized the moment to play a shell game with the lives of incarcerated Montanans to strengthen CoreCivic’s bottom line,” said Keegan Medrano, ACLU-MT Policy and Advocacy Director. "This transfer will expand the Shelby prison’s already swelling population, ensuring Montana's continued dependency on private prisons. We must move away from incarceration and for-profit private prisons, which prey on our state to line the pockets of CoreCivic's executives."
