Well, we have finally discovered another major reason for the Montana prison system being so clogged up. It is not just the fact that those who have been revoked on probation have to re-take the CP&R program again and are put on the list of first priority. Thus pushing the inmate population on a longer waiting period. It has come to our attention that this program that was developed by Montana State Prison does not have the staff to implement the program. Apparently one of their therapists was fired, from an outside source, for teaching the course without the appropriate credentials. We are at this time checking on that “outside source”.
How can it be mandated to take classes that they do not even have therapists for? Why would a prison create a program that apparently is not working? They do not have the resources available and they have a 94% recidivism rate with these inmates already having completed the program once. How many times does the taxpayer have to pay for these programs to be taken? If this doesn’t sound like a major money making racket, I don’t know what does.
At the same time there are those that have taken SOP1 which teaches the very same thing as the CP&R with a few more or a few less points. Might be the reason that Montana Department Of Corrections is stating that they have changed the CP&R to be taught with SOP2. It not only allows the Montana Board Of Pardons And Parole to add “enhancements” to an inmates sentence but they are getting extra money from the taxpayers by continuing to add these classes in a longer time frame. So, you have Blair Hopkins teaching all of these classes? With over 1400 inmates?
Here is their definition of the CP&R program:
Cognitive Behavioral Programming:
Cognitive Principles and Restructuring (CP&R) is a program that was developed by the Montana State Prison, and has achieved impressive outcome results. CP&R is conducted five days per week for approximately 1.5 hours per session. This component is delivered in both individual and group settings by trained staff.
- see the behavior to change;
- identify the thinking behind the behavior;
- identify the patterns and cycles of that thinking;
- detail the underlying attitudes and beliefs that drive the thinking;
- develop interventions, controls and alternative ways of thinking;
- prepare a plan to make and sustain change; and
- apply and monitor the plan.
http://www.cccscorp.com/watch2.htm
Now why do they need inmates to take this program if they have already learned the same principles in SOP1? This is a certain segment of the population that could reduce costs to the Montana taxpayers.
Here are the ads we found showing that there is a major need for therapists within the Department of Corrections. Actually we encourage anyone with the qualifications to please apply as we have a system that has become clogged up with inmates throughout Montana waiting to go through these programs and cannot be released until that happens. Not even those that are being mandated to take duplicated programs.
| Position Title: | Clinical Therapist –Reposted | *Applications must be received by Midnight Mountain Time on the closing date.Listing Number:8434-1210F For more information contact:State Agency: Corrections 600 Conley Lake Rd. Deer Lodge, MT 59722 Phone:(406)846-1320 2202 Fax:(406)846-2950 TTY:Montana Relay Service at 711 E-mail:whislop@mt.gov- OR - |
| Position Number(s): | 64122946 | |
| Openings: | 1 | |
| Location(s): | Deer Lodge | |
| Job Status: | Full-Time Permanent | |
| Shift: | Daytime | |
| Date Posted: | 9/27/2012 | |
| Closing Date: | ||
| Department: | Corrections | |
| Division: | Montana State Prison | |
| Bureau: | ||
| Union: | MEA/MFT | |
| Bargaining Unit: | 6 | |
| Band/Grade: | 6 | |
| State Application Required: | Yes | |
| Salary: | $22.26 – $27.83 | |
| Salary Unit: | Hourly |
https://svc.mt.gov/statejobsearch/listingdetails.aspx?id=8434
| Job Category: | Counselor |
| Reference #: | 64122620 |
| Job Title: | Sex Offender Therapist |
| Hiring Organization: | Montana State Prison |
| Salary Range: | $39,561 – $49.441 |
| Closing Date: | 2012-02-29 |
| Job Location: | Montana |
| Description: | Duties include professional psychological testing, counseling groups, conducting sex offender programming therapy sessions, interviewing inmates for psychosexual evaluation and recommendation purposes, emergency evaluations and management, psycho diagnosis, case management, working with Case Managers and contracted professionals, psychological consultation to the institution. |
http://www.corrections.com/jobs/6550
Clinical Therapist –Reposted
State of Montana
- Deer Lodge, MT
Montana at http://www.mt.gov - Montana‘s Official State Website; learn more about the … for prison employees is required. Montana State Prison is tobacco free. All employees…
from State of Montana - 24 days ago
Clinical Psychologist
State of Montana
- Deer Lodge, MT
for prison employees is required. Montana State Prison is tobacco free. All employees … organizing information on all inmates at the Montana State Prison. Maintains…
from State of Montana - 30+ days ago
http://publicdefender.mt.gov/training/Session4.pdf
Inmates move among the prisons for a number of reasons. An inmate could be moved from MSP to Crossroads or a regional prison because:
MSP has reached capacity and another prison has some empty beds. An inmate does not have immediate needs for special services at MSP such as medical, dental,
mental health and sex offender treatment.
Separation needs; an inmate has problems getting along with other inmates at his custody level. An inmate at MSP should be at a lower custody level but no room at that level is available at MSP An inmate wants to enroll in a program offered elsewhere, such as the virtual welding course at Glendive or the dog-training program at Shelby.
(Remember in June of this year the instructor was caught having sex with inmates in her dog-training program and blackmailing the other inmates?)
To read: Montana’s Dirty Sex Secret
Moving an inmate will improve his behavior in relation to staff or other inmates. An inmate might move to MSP because:
He needs specialized treatment as a sex offender or for chemical dependency.
He wishes to participate in an industries program.
He needs medical attention available only through the infirmary.
He requires placement in a higher custody level that is not available elsewhere.
He requires more intense mental health treatment.
The cost per day at the prisons varies due to the disparity in the services and programming provided and the custody levels of the inmates housed there. The cost per day at Crossroads is $63.98 for each inmate. The cost per day at Montana State Prison is $94.19. The higher rate is because MSP functions, to a great extent, as a special-needs facility in the Montana prison network.
MSP has specialized programs and services that are not available elsewhere. It has:
A full infirmary that is capable of providing inmates with extensive and chronic medical and dental needs
Intensive treatment units for chemical dependent and methamphetamine-addicted inmates
Sex offender treatment
Treatment for inmates with serious mental health issues
Capability of housing the highest-custody inmates, which requires higher staffer levels
http://www.cor.mt.gov/content/news/Newsletters/No2_2012.pdf
The Montana Department of Corrections is having you to believe that they are offering all of this with an enormous success rate. But that is not the truth, they can’t and don’t offer it. As you can see documented in all of the articles on this very website.
They move these inmates around the state without the personnel for these programs and the mental health and the extensive medical and dental needs is a joke. Sounds like a good way to keep milking the system and the public.
Prison budget
A budget hearing in early 2011 brought up the idea of prisons earning their own money rather than relying on taxpayer funds. Members of the panel asked about privatizing some services at prisons and how could the state increase restitution payments from prisoners.
State prison officials told the joint subcommittee on Judicial Branch, Law Enforcement and Justice that the department would need $170 million in 2012 and $180 million in 2013 to operate. There are about 12,000 people who are wards of the state in Montana with 8,000 of those on paroled supervision, officials said.
“Montana is tough on crime,” Gov. Schweitzer’s Budget Director David Ewer said. “We’re very compassionate people but we’re tough.”
Rep. Kenneth Peterson asked if privatizing some services had been considered and Ewer did not offer him much hope.
“We believe it is appropriate for government employees to deliver something as important as public safety,” Peterson said.
Peterson pointed out that the administration of Gov. Schweitzer does not traditionally advocate for private prisons or for shipping prisoners out of Montana to other facilities.
Mike Ferriter, director of the Department of Corrections, said it cost the private-run prison in Shelby $67.86 a day to keep a prisoner whereas Montana state prisons have a cost of $87.91 a day.
However, Ferriter added, Montana State Prison was becoming a prison that dealt with people who were sex offenders or had medical issues.
Peterson said he’d be interested in privatizing some prison services, but would not push the issue.
“I thought it would be good for the agency (DOC) to pursue,” Peterson said, adding that the state could privatize the prison ranch in Deer Lodge and send low-level offenders there to work.
Rep. Michael More suggested the DOC look at ways to make prisoners pay restitution for their own incarceration.
http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/
Privatized prisons is not the way to go. I don’t know where Rep. Kenneth Peterson has done his research but this is the least favorable avenue. The nation is in an uproar over corporations owning prisons. Their profits based on how many they have locked up. Yet remember that these kind of organizations lobby and spend millions for this very thing.
And the comment from our own Governor Brian Schweitzer’s Budget Director…“Montana is tough on crime,” Gov. Schweitzer’s Budget Director David Ewer said. “We’re very compassionate people but we’re tough.” This is a real laugh. What has Governor Schweitzer done to even check up about these prison camps? That is not compassion when you allow a judicial system to run rampant, declaring war on Montana citizens. To allow the incarceration rate to skyrocket without even researching into it. To allow inmates to commit suicide at an alarming rate, for officers to commit felonies in these prisons and there is no “real” investigations taking place. Nor is there any “change” within the system.
We have found other out of state websites calling Montana ”Montana House Of Shame” even though Governor Brian Schweitzer keeps repeating how popular of a governor he is. Not everyone in the nation thinks so.
Remember the two departments that say they work only in administrative purposes, yet we discovered by their own “meeting minutes” how involved they are with each other, The Montana Families.
Montana taxpayers, it is time for change. We cannot continue sticking our heads in the sand. Wake up!
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