KALISPELL — The Montana Department of Corrections held a public meeting in Kalispell Tuesday night to discuss the potential of a new prerelease center coming to Flathead County.
A prerelease center is a residential facility that helps individuals transition from incarceration to community living.
The majority of attendees at the meeting voiced concerns about a lack of transparency concerning the project.
“I was disappointed to learn that some people got a notification about this meeting, whereas others that reside in Evergreen did not,” said Evergreen resident Pam Roberts.
Roberts was one of dozens of Flathead residents giving public comment.
The proposed prerelease center would repurpose the existing Greenwood Village Inn and Suites property located on East Oregon Street in Kalispell.
Roberts lives a mile away from the proposed facility in Evergreen.
“I came here to learn, and I was frankly disappointed in the lack of statistics given for the state model, how it’s working across the state,” added Roberts.
The state currently operates ten prerelease centers throughout Montana, but does not operate one in Flathead County.
Montana Department of Corrections Spokesman Scott Eychner said Flathead County and the surrounding areas are the largest region in the state without a prerelease center.
“The legislature gave us $7.1 million last session to come in and buy a facility, I know there were conversations about could we use alternative places, I think there is generally support for the idea of a prerelease, I think the question has come down to location,” said Eychner.
The proposed location sits adjacent to an RV park and just blocks away from popular Woodland Park.
Residents of the RV park and neighboring streets voiced concerns about plummeting property values and general safety if the prerelease center is approved.
“I feel there is a lack of statistics given on how the program will function, regarding whether our Sheriff’s office can handle extra calls or whether they have the manpower to be available,” added Roberts.
If approved, the prerelease center would house 90 males and would be fully operated by the Department of Corrections.
“There’s a fair amount of individuals in the system that come from here, so to the extent that we can put them, if everything makes sense, to put them back in their community and do that step-down release, have that accountability piece that helps combat the temptations and other things that come with transitioning back into the community, it makes a ton of difference,” added Eychner.
Flathead County resident Joe Clark has a family member who went through a prerelease program. He said it helped change their life for the better.
“I think it takes a lot of faith to step up and help these people that have made the effort, these people coming out of prison, done their programs, done their time, now this is just a transition to help them get out of that system and come back into the public,” said Clark.
The Flathead County Commissioners will host a public hearing regarding the proposed prerelease center on September 26, followed by a Board of Adjustments meeting on Oct. 1, 2024.
Public comment regarding the project can be emailed to corpio@mt.gov.
