A Yellowstone County man serving a two-year sentence at Montana State Prison was found dead in his cell this weekend.
For inmates within the Montana Department Of Corrections, suicide seems to be the only way out. With only 6%, according to Montana probation records, the only percentage that successfully get out and are not yanked back into the prison system. It has been testified at the Law and Justice and on this website about the hopelessness these men, women and families feel. The state of Montana is a whole-hearted prison for profit state. The incarceration rates are over the top. The suicide rates are over the top.
Between Department of Corrections, where you have Mr. Ferriter, his family and friends, Montana Corrections Enterprise which is the Lambert Family, Pre-Releases that are family owned and operated such as the Thatcher family, Family members in Helena that work for the department and also have pre-releases, family members that work in each state department of Montana where they just hand one case after the other through the assembly line. You have DOJ and DPHHS working together and trying to create more laws to snag people up….they are asking for an increase in budget to put more people in prison. There is already a large amount in prison. Montana is not that heavily populated. Then we have to figure in CCA and their contract of 90+ occupancy for 20 years. The whole state of Montana is operating this way. Just in the last few weeks there has been unacceptable statistics of what is happening to the inmates. (It was stated that Department of Corrections, Miker Ferriter. the Director nor any of the other staff except an attorney or two showed up to answer the questions that the Law and Justice had raised for them to answer. Talk about Department of Corrections having disrespect for due process or our politicians.)
First of all, you never saw in the newspapers about the Native American that tried to hang himself at Montana State Prison. There is a young man this past week where they yanked him off of his medications, something they do to every inmate that enters, he had a psychotic episode and tore his cell up. They then put him in solitary. Montana State Prison caused him to have a psychotic episode. Doctors all around the country that we have spoke to concerning this type of practice said this is completely wrong. That a person on medications and being yanked off could kill them or cause a psychotic episode or cause such deep depression that they would commit suicide. Cathy Redfern has stated that once you are in Montana State Prisons you are a ward of the state and you do not have rights concerning your medication, that is up to them to decide.
At the Law and Justice they talk about a grievance process for medical. Department of Corrections medical grievance is a joke. One man passed away just a week ago. One man was taken to a Missoula Hospital and had two toes amputated. While there they found that he was having organ failure and he lost 80 pounds in 1 month. Another inmate had hurt his leg, it developed infection, which come to find out he had staph infection and it could have killed him. Another man just came back from the hospital, the infirmary gave this diabetic man too much insulin. Where do they get these people and why are they allowing situations to go so far to the point of severe medical issues or death? Again, how do these people sleep at night? Do they derive pleasure in having such power that they control whether a person will ever have freedom again or if they live or die?
Someone needs to start investigating all the way from the bottom to the top. This is sick to make money off of suffering and deaths. A man was just violated for parole in Silverbow County because he was working at a place of business where other ex-inmates were working. At the same time, as soon as he was in jail another man filled his space. They said they would allow the inmate back to a pre-release but he will have to start over. It’s one thing to violate over technical violations where it is a safety issue but an inmate can’t sneeze without being sent back to prison. We are talking about ridiculous technical violations. Over every little stupid thing.
According to state prison records, Weis was sentenced by Judge Ingrid Gustafson on June 22, 2011, to serve a two-year prison sentence for a probation violation in a 2008 criminal mischief case.
Corey Lloyd Weis, 26, was found Saturday on the floor of his cell “following an apparent suicide attempt by hanging,” Bob Anez, a spokesman for the state Department of Corrections, said in a press release issued Monday afternoon.
Weis’ death remains under investigation and a coroner’s inquest hearing is planned, Anez said.
The rate of incarceration has been increasing over the last few years. Just what kind of plan is Attorney General Steve Bullock running here? Why isn’t he investigating into what has and still is going on in his state? Why isn’t Governor Brian Schweitzer looking into things? He is the Governor after all. I don’t care about the political party affiliations and who stands for what, I do care about injustice, cruelty and profit off of warehousing people in prison just for the almighty dollar. Prison is for criminals, it was not intended to be a large corporation with people being the supply and demand. Why are both the Governor and the Attorney General behind large prison corporations?
- Read more:
- http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/article_4eab5957-f4f3-5142-95b1-978a2afbae9c.html#ixzz1ypvrSBtM
- http://www.krtv.com/news/inmate-commits-suicide-at-montana-state-prison/
State lawmakers are looking at ways to reduce suicide rates in Montana jails. The Law and Justice Interim Committee is considering three bill drafts.
The first bill would implement a toll free telephone hotline in the jails that inmates could call if they were having a mental health crisis. The inmates could talk to a mental health professional which would hopefully reduce the suicide risk.
The second bill draft would make that program permanent. In both cases the state would pay for the program out of the general fund.
The third bill would require the Law Enforcement Academy to train its officers on how to deal with a suicidal inmate.
Read More:http://www.krtv.com/news/montana-legislature-addressing-jail-suicide/
They need to train officers not to bully, threaten, humiliate and endanger an inmates life as they have been doing. As in the case here. They drove this man to it. To throw him in temporary lock-up and tell him that he would be in prison for 100 years because of an accusation that another inmate accused Weis of. This inmate that owed a debt wanted Weis out of the way. Who are these officers to just take an inmates word without investigating if it was even true or not before threatening him with 100 years. The man so hopeless that he strangled himself with his underwear.
First of all this states jails, not prisons also. This only takes into account the ones that are reported. Not all of them are reported I have found out through staff. This is a band-aid law. It is not dealing with the fact that inmates know that once they are in the Montana Department of Corrections they might as well kiss their life goodbye. That they will be sitting in prison for a long time or if they are on probation they are stalked by the probation officers looking for anything, absolutely anything to revoke their parole. If you read some of the conditions you will see to what lengths they will go. Montana, seriously, how long are you going to stand by and allow this to continue? They are stealing your tax money to warehouse these people and at the same time their blood is on your hands when we stand by and do nothing.
Why don’t you ask Cathy Redfern about her participation in Justin Wing’s death? She was the nurse charged with changing his bandages, but didn’t. He developed an infection and died. And like everyone else got promoted!
Oh how awful! Seems like there is much wrong doing at Montana prisons but everyone in the state keeps silent about it and lets it keep happening. Why aren’t any of these people charged with anything?
I agree totally. My boyfriend was but there for drinking a beer on parole. When the police came to talk to him they kept calling him “Curt” which is his brother. Also when he went in front of the parole board they were judging him based on things they had in is file, which later it was determined that once again they had his brothers files in his files. My boyfriend had been out of prison for 4 years was working 2 jobs and had not been in any trouble for that length of time. But because of his last name and his brothers legal issues probation and parole stalked him continually. His brother was recently arrested for dealing meth and they released him on his own word and two weeks later was again arrest for dealing and treating people with a gun. I’m in agreement that this state needs to work on their legal system and the people they have running. Another inmate was killed by fellow inmates last night due to the guards there sneaking in drugs and alcohol and inmates acquiring debts that and settled by death or severe beating. My boyfriend has been there 3 months and this is the third instance that has happened. They have him placed in the high side due to it being over crowded which puts his safety at risk because his cell mates are all lifers and don’t care about consequences. Thank you for having this website as I myself in the last 6 months have been very frustrated with our states legal system.