Montana Prison Populations

HELENA, Mont. — The Montana Supreme Court denied a disability rights group’s petition asking it to exercise its powers of original jurisdiction and supervisory control to immediately reduce the populations of jails, prisons, and houses of correction in the state due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The group failed to prove that corrections officials have violated a “clear legal duty to reduce prisoner populations,” or that the state’s courts are “causing a gross injustice,” according to the ruling, which also points out that the state and its courts have implemented “appropriate and detailed measures for correctional facilities” to address the current emergency.