In January, CSG Justice Center staff conducted one site visit to Montana, to Helena and Deer Lodge, to assess the parole decision-making process and delivery of probation and parole supervision. In this effort, staff observed parole board hearings at Montana State Prison and met with parole board members, parole board analysts, probation and parole officers and supervisors, institutional probation and parole officers and supervisors, and Department of Corrections (DOC) administrators.
CSG Justice Center staff conducted and shared with the Montana Commission on Sentencing preliminary data analyses examining front-end criminal justice trends in Montana. CSG Justice Center staff began to collect responses from county attorneys and sheriffs on two surveys designed to obtain county-level information and data. CSG Justice Center staff also began comparative analyses of sentencing in Montana and neighboring states. CSG Justice Center staff initiated conversations with parole board staff and DOC to obtain parole decisional data.
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• Conduct a site visit with CSG Justice Center's Senior Policy Advisor to assess Montana's behavioral health system.
• Continue to develop presentations including data analyses and other observations for the March 1 and 2 commission meetings on following topics: sentencing, probation, prison/community corrections, and parole.
• Develop a strategy for data analysis and future policy development around risk assessment, probation/supervision, behavioral health access, and community corrections.
• Develop an engagement strategy for victim advocates.
• Develop an engagement strategy for Native American stakeholders.
o Meeting with DOC (Deputy Director, Probation and Parole Division Manager, Government Relations Director, and Division Administrator for Correctional Enterprises Division), Montana State Prison (Associate Warden of Programs, and Admissions Manager) to discuss the parole system in Montana from the perspective of DOC, from decision-making to the delivery of supervision, in addition to the relationship between corrections and the parole board.
o Meeting with DOC Government Relations Director to discuss political aspects of the parole board and the parole decision-making process.
o Meeting with DOC Data Quality and Statistics Bureau Chief to discuss the availability of parole-related data including data on parole decisions, decision dates, and reasons for decisions.
o Focus group with 6 probation officers, including probation supervisors and officers with specialized caseloads (DUI and sex offender), DOC Probation and Parole Division Manager, and DOC Government Relations Director to discuss supervision practices on the ground and initiate a gap analysis assessing the difference between the state’s supervision policy and practice to evidence-based practices.
o Meeting with Chair, Board of Pardons and Parole to discuss the parole system from the board’s perspective, covering parole releases, revocations, supervision delivery, and the role of various institutional staff who influence the parole decision-making process.
o Meeting with DOC Director, Probation and Parole Administrator, and Government Relations Director to discuss the relationship between DOC and the parole board.
o Focus group with DOC Probation and Parole Division Manager, and three institutional probation and parole officers to discuss the parole process and their role in facilities in preparing offenders for parole release in addition to their relationships with case managers and board analysts.
o Observation of parole board hearings at Montana State Prison of approximately 10 release and revocation cases.
o Meeting with Board of Pardons and Parole Executive Director, and two Parole Board Analysts to discuss the board analysts’ role in the parole process and the availability of parole hearings data.
o Meeting with Board of Pardons and Parole Executive Director, and two Parole Board Members to discuss the day’s parole hearings at Montana State Prison, the board members’ role in the parole process, challenges they experience as board members, and opportunities for improving the parole process.
• (1/13) Call with DOC Director, and Government Relations Director to plan upcoming site visits and the upcoming commission meeting and presentation.
• (1/5) Call with Montana Legislative Services Division Research Analyst to plan for the upcoming commission meeting and the interim between commission meetings.
• (1/27) Call with Board of Pardons and Parole Executive Director to prepare and plan for an upcoming visit to the Montana State Prison to observe parole board hearings and meet with parole board analysts.
• (1/27) Call with Department of Public Health and Human Services Mental Health Services Bureau Chief, and Chemical Dependency Bureau Chief to identify behavioral health providers and other behavioral health stakeholders to meet with in an upcoming site visit.
• (1/28) Call with Community, Counseling, and Correctional Services, Inc. CEO to discuss upcoming tours of the DUI treatment and sanctions facilities.
In January, CSG Justice Center research staff conducted in-depth analyses of the Montana District Court, Department of Correction, and Department of Justice data to inform the creation of a series of system trends summaries for the Commissioner on Sentencing. CSG Justice Center staff, in response to requests from the County Attorneys and Sheriffs Association, designed and distributed front-end law enforcement qualitative surveys to allow statewide local leaders to provide additional direct input on the chief issues, and possible solutions, facing the criminal justice system.
CSG Justice Center research staff is finalizing the presentation for the Montana Commission on Sentencing’s Second Meeting. The focus of this meeting is on ensuring that all members of the Commission have a baseline understanding of the trends and composition of the entire Montana criminal justice system, from arrest to release from DOC custody. CSG Justice Center research staff anticipates this presentation will elicit requests for additional deeper analysis of specific trends identified as critical by Commission members.
• (1/4) Began analyses of front-end (crimes & arrests) data from Montana DOJ and FBI UCR data.
• (1/5) Developed qualitative surveys to collect additional ideas and concerns from the Montana County Attorneys and Sheriffs.
• (1/8) Distributed qualitative surveys to County Attorneys and Sheriffs.
• (1/15) Began analyses of court disposition data.
• (1/25) Begin analyses of DOC admission, length of stay, and recidivism data.
• (1/27) Shared front-end slides containing DOJ data with DOJ data team for their review.
• (1/29) Finalized front-end analyses presentation to send to Commission on February 3.
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