Montana Completes Transfer of All 600 Out-of-State Inmates to Mississippi Facility
Summary
The Montana Department of Corrections completed the final phase of a three-part inmate transport operation on April 24, 2026, consolidating all 600 of its out-of-state male inmates at the Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility in Mississippi. Previously, 360 inmates were housed at Saguaro Correctional Center in Arizona while 240 were already at the Mississippi facility. The consolidation follows dedicated funding approved during the 2023 and 2025 Montana Legislative Sessions to address chronic in-state prison overcrowding through out-of-state contract beds.
“On Wednesday, the Montana Department of Corrections completed the last of three inmate transports placing all 600 of its out-of-state inmates at the Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility in Mississippi.”
About this source
GovPing monitors news.mt.gov for new government general regulatory changes. Every update since tracking began is archived, classified, and available as free RSS or email alerts — 9 changes logged to date.
What changed
Montana's DOC has completed the third and final phase of its multi-stage out-of-state inmate transfer program, relocating the remaining inmates previously held at Saguaro Correctional Center in Arizona to join those already housed at Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility in Mississippi. The consolidation consolidates Montana's entire out-of-state male prison population—600 individuals—into a single contracted facility, replacing a dual-site arrangement that had existed across two states.\n\nCorrections administrators and contract managers should note the shift to a single out-of-state provider as the operational model; this may affect inmate access to services, programming continuity, and contract governance structures. Montana has simultaneously committed $306 million to construct five new units at Montana State Prison (adding over 900 beds, targeted for January 2029), signaling a long-term strategy to repatriate out-of-state inmates to in-state facilities. Lawmakers and budget officials should track the construction timeline and any associated operational changes as the repatriation date approaches.
Archived snapshot
Apr 24, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
DOC Announces Inmate Transfer
Department of Corrections
- Carolynn Stocker
- April 24 2026
On Wednesday, the Montana Department of Corrections completed the last of three inmate transports placing all 600 of its out-of-state inmates at the Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility in Mississippi.
“This decision to concentrate our entire out-of-state male prison population in one location allows the department to provide greater consistency to our out-of-state inmates while being efficient and focused in leveraging our contracts,” said Director Eric Strauss. “With this transfer, inmates will have improved access to services and opportunities including jobs, programming, and education.”
Prior to the recent moves, 360 Montana inmates were held at Saguaro Correctional Center in Eloy, Arizona, while the other 240 were already housed at the Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility in Mississippi.
During the 2023 and 2025 Montana Legislative Sessions, lawmakers and the governor dedicated funding for out-of-state adult male prison beds to help alleviate ongoing critical overcrowding in Montana’s prisons.
To address the issue for the long term, legislators allocated and the governor secured $306 million to build five new units at Montana State Prison which will add more than 900 beds. The units are expected to open in January 2029.
“We’re extremely grateful to Governor Gianforte and Montana legislators for their investment in our correctional infrastructure,” Director Strauss said. “The new units will allow us to bring our out-of-state inmates back to Montana to receive the services they need to succeed when they return to the community. In addition, they can be closer to their loved ones while they prepare for that.”
Related changes
Get daily alerts for news.mt.gov
Daily digest delivered to your inbox.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime.
About this page
Every important government, regulator, and court update from around the world. One place. Real-time. Free. Our mission
Source document text, dates, docket IDs, and authority are extracted directly from MT DOC.
The summary, classification, recommended actions, deadlines, and penalty information are AI-generated from the original text and may contain errors. Always verify against the source document.
Classification
Who this affects
Taxonomy
Browse Categories
Get alerts for this source
We'll email you when news.mt.gov publishes new changes.
Subscribed!
Optional. Filters your digest to exactly the updates that matter to you.