In July, the Governor held a public bill signing ceremony, and Montana’s implementation work officially began with the approval for the state to receive Phase II technical assistance. The bill signing, held at the State Capitol on July 19, elicited news stories from across the state and demonstrated the strong support from the Governor, Legislators, and the Montana Department of Corrections (MDOC). MDOC’s new director was in attendance and also spoke in support of the justice reinvestment initiative.
On July 1st, the Montana Board of Pardons and Parole (MBPP) transitioned from a volunteer, part-time board to a full-time professional board. Three parole board members were appointed to the parole board in June, however, one member resigned shortly after being appointed for personal reasons. As a result, the Governor appointed retired Montana Department of Corrections (MDOC) Director into a temporary parole board member position until the remaining three appointments can be made. The Office of the Governor continued to solicit applications and conduct interviews throughout July for the remaining parole board positions and anticipates making additional appointments in August. CSG Justice Center staff coordinated with Richard Stroker, at NPRC, to conduct joint trainings for the parole board on best practices in parole decision-making. The joint training was originally scheduled for July, however, due to the delayed appointments it has been rescheduled for the fall. CSG Justice Center staff will continue to partner with NPRC throughout the next several months to provide support to MBPP as they continue to transition to a professional board. A staffing plan for administrative support staff was finalized resulting in the elimination of seven positions. Support staff will remain in their positions throughout July as newly appointed board members are trained.
Throughout July, CSG Justice Center staff conducted on-site training for new parole board members and led phone calls to provide implementation technical assistance. MDOC began revising the presentence investigation (PSI) process to meet an Oct 1st effective date and is designing a new incentive and intervention grid (MIIG). Additionally, CSG Justice Center staff assisted MDOC in determining a plan to revise contracts with private providers to ensure evidence-based practices are being utilized, monitor outcomes, and create ongoing program evaluations to ensure quality and fidelity of programming and services.
The State Court Administrator in Montana has convened a working group to establish a pretrial grant program. They selected the Public Safety Assessment (PSA) tool for use in Montana and have been approved by the Laura and John Arnold Foundation to utilize the PSA and receive technical assistance for training and implementation.
Additionally, CSG Justice Center staff conducted meetings with agency IT and research staff to determine data collection capacity for integrating parole board data into the MDOC system and general state monitoring activities. Montana leaders are narrowing down potential projects to increase their data collection and analysis capacity and strengthen their IT infrastructure.
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• Parole Board Training on structured decision-making, evidence-based practices and parole guidelines.
• Meeting with KXLH Reporter to discuss the implementation of justice reinvestment policies in Montana.
• Attendance at the justice reinvestment ceremonial bill signing event hosted by the Governor.
• 7/6 - Call with MDOC Administrator of Probation and Parole and MDOC Bureau Chief and three additional MDOC staff to discuss performance-based contracting and quality assurance to ensure adherence to evidence-based practices.
• 7/10 - Call with MDOC Probation and Parole Division Bureau Chief, MDOC Probation and Parole Division Administrator, and seven MDOC staff to discuss modifications and implementation of a revised Pre-Sentence Investigation format and process.
• 7/10 - Call with MDOC Probation and Parole Division Administrator, Boyd Andrew Community Services Chief Executive Officer, and six MDOC staff to discuss modifications to MDOC's Montana Incentives and Interventions Grid (MIIG) as a result of Senate Bills 63 and 64.
• 7/12 - Call with MDOC Director, MDOC Deputy Director and four additional MDOC staff to discuss the appointment of new parole board members, upcoming parole board trainings and data monitoring during phase II of justice reinvestment.
• 7/13 - Call with MDOC Human Resources Director to discuss the parole board transition plan and upcoming training of new board members.
• 7/20 - Call with MDOC Human Resources Director to discuss the parole board transition plan and next steps.
• 7/24 - Call with Missoula Partners for Reintegration Chair and two additional PFR volunteers to discuss phase II of justice reinvestment, PFR's role in reentry in Missoula, and their interest in housing assistance for individuals being released from prison.
• 7/24 - Call with State Court Administrator to discuss progress of the pretrial grant program and the selection of the Public Safety Assessment (PSA) tool from the Arnold Foundation.
• 7/25 - Call with MDOC Probation and Parole Division Bureau Chief, Boyd Andrew Community Services Chief Executive Officer, CCCS CEO and five MDOC staff to discuss modifications to MDOC's Montana Incentives and Interventions Grid (MIIG) as a result of Senate Bills 63 and 64.
• 7/28 - Call with MDOC Government Relations Director, MDOC Human Resources Director and two additional MDOC staff to discuss the status of parole board and task force appointments and scheduling for an August site visit by CSG Justice Center staff.
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