CCCS Inc – Helenawinds

“Power intoxicates men. When a man is intoxicated by alcohol, he can recover, but when intoxicated by power, he seldom recovers.” James F. Byrnes. Community Counseling and Correctional Services, (CCCS Inc.)

Deep in the center of Montana lies the refreshingly authentic community of Lewistown. Intersected by a beautiful, spring-fed stream, encircled by gentle island mountain ranges and surrounded by Montana’s natural beauty, Lewistown is a premier destination for fishing, hunting, hiking and biking. Showcasing the heart of a Western lifestyle, Lewistown is the perfect place to find your center. Intoxicated with power from which it seems it cannot recover, Community Counseling and Correctional Services Inc (CCCS Inc) has found its center or so they continue to pretend.

CCCS Inc and its dummy company Montana Behavioral Health Inc is a failing institution. They are hemorrhaging money, losing investments for failure to pay property taxes and closing treatment centers. And yet, CCCS Inc owns a beautiful vacation home deep in the center of Montana on a beautiful golf course surrounded by premier fishing, hunting, biking and hiking. CCCS Inc is also a private contract, non-profit prison. Oh, the profit in non-profit.

This 3360 square foot vacation home has vaulted ceilings, 5 bedrooms and three baths. As with all facilities owned by CCCS Inc. it is carefully staged but deteriorating. There are dead birds on the property, the exterior is in need of repair and of course abandoned. This abandoned property is valued at $330,000.00, one third of a million dollars. One third of a million dollars of taxpayers money. Montana tax payers believed this money would be invested in drug and alcohol treatment for a better Montana. Instead taxpayers got an abandoned deteriorating home.

“Power intoxicates men. When a man is intoxicated by alcohol, he can recover, but when intoxicated by power, he seldom recovers.” James F. Byrnes.

Why is this information important? Montana’s well-vetted legislators are closing the drug and alcohol treatment center at the state prison to send prisoners to CCCS Inc treatment centers. This includes Nexus Treatment Center in Lewistown. Montana is planning on investing millions of dollars into a company that just lost a 2 million dollar property to a California company speculating in delinquent property taxes. CCCS Inc owns a deteriorating abandoned vacation home valued at one third of a million dollars. Two million, three hundred and thirty thousand dollars of tax payer money, designated to treat Montana prisoners, squandered by the intoxication of power. And yet Montana continues to send millions of dollars to a company intoxicated by power from which it will never recover.

CCCS Inc uses the “higher power” concept in its treatment programs. With this concept many are able to recover from the intoxication of addiction. Luke 4:23 Physician, heal thyself. Before attempting to correct others, CCCS Inc needs to be sure they aren’t guilty of the same faults. The intoxication of power.

CCCS Inc cannot heal others until they heal themselves. The intoxication of power has led to a failing company and Montana continues to pour millions of dollars into an intoxicated failing company.

What is the answer? Two million, three hundred thousand squandered dollars would go a long way in helping people to transition out of prison. We have to give people hope. Hope for a better way of life through housing, jobs, medication and community treatment. We have to give people a belief that they are better than the worst thing they did. Despite the millions of dollars poured into CCCS Inc, CCCS Inc cannot give people the hope they need. They can’t heal their own faults, how can they give hope to others.

Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness. Desmond Tutu

The gateway to drug and alcohol addiction is childhood abuse. Let’s give hope to these people, not millions of dollars to a failing intoxicated company. Give hope through help. Use the money to actually help people transition.

CCCS Inc (Community Counseling & Correction Service) Butte MT…Mayday Mayday and the Band Played On

Montana Department of Corrections is closing the Montana State Prison’s chemical dependency treatment center that recently opened in the old Treasure State Boot Camp facility at the prison. The 2019 Legislature decided to close the chemical dependency treatment center and open a new sex offender program, rationalizing the state could use available beds for chemical dependency treatment in contract facilities owned by CCCS Inc. The State of Montana is utilizing a treatment intervention plan developed by Volunteers of America for the University of Cincinnati.

Volunteers of America (VOA) is a faith-based non-profit organization founded in 1896 that provides affordable housing and other assistance services primarily to low-income people throughout the United States. Headquartered in Alexandria VA, the organization includes 32 affiliates and serves approximately 1.5 million people each year in 46 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.  In addition to those in need of affordable housing, VOA assists  veterans, low-income seniors, children and families, the homeless, those with intellectual disabilities, those recovering from addiction, and the formerly incarcerated.  Volunteers of America are more than a nonprofit organization. They are a ministry of service that includes nearly 16,000 paid, professional employees. This organization is not required to file an annual return with the IRS because it is a church.

The curriculum designed by VOA and utilized by the Montana Department of Corrections consists of 80 sessions for 1.5 years. Blue Cross Blue Shield, an insurance company, Medical Policy #3.01.17 requires the sex offender treatment program must meet the following requirements: treatment programs consist of 104 sessions for 2 years.  The insurance company has stronger requirements than the State of Montana Department of Corrections for sex offender treatment.  But wait...there's more.  There is about 500 sex offenders incarcerated at Montana State Prison.  The old Treasure State Boot Camp facility has 60 beds.  It will take 12 YEARS to put all the sex offenders through the program.  A sex offender going in to the prison today will have to wait 12 YEARS to get in to the program.

Montana Department of Corrections Deputy Director Cynthia Wolken expressed her excitement in the new treatment program. I’m a little less excited about it.

According to Representative Ryan Lynch, a Butte Democrat, this recent legislative decision was well-vetted by the Montana legislators. CCCS Inc, a Butte private prison contractor, owns the contract beds the State of Montana will use for the drug and alcohol addiction treatment program for the Montana State Prison. Let’s look at some facts about CCCS Inc the legislators may not know.

CCCS Inc is the parent of another company called Montana Behavioral Health Inc.  The board members of CCCS Inc include Mike Thatcher, Don Peoples and Perry Hawbaker.  Board members of Montana Behavioral Health include Mike Thatcher, Don Peoples and Perry Hawbaker.  Montana Behavioral Health filed Federal Form 990 wherein they stated that CCCS Inc pays all expenses for Montana Behavioral Health.  Montana Behavioral Health listed assets of $2,047,233.00 for land owned in Deer Lodge County.  This land was intended for the purpose of private contract beds for drug and alcohol treatment owned by parent company CCCS Inc and hidden under the name of Montana Behavioral Health Inc.  CCCS Inc purchased land under the cover name of Montana Behavioral Health, appraised at just over 2 million dollars.  But wait...there's more.  CCCS Inc was unable to pay the taxes for the land purchased under their cover name of Montana Behavioral Health and the taxes were bought up by an out of state company called the Wayne S. Hansen Trust out of Oakland, California for under $100,000.00.  CCCS Inc, a failing company, lost their investment of 2 million dollars because they couldn't pay property taxes.

The well-vetted legislators are now planning on sending prisoners from the Montana State Prison to a failing company, CCCS Inc, for drug and alcohol treatment to open a sex offender treatment center that will take a prisoner 12 years from today to get into the program. I guess the legislators weren’t quite as well-vetted as they thought. Thank you, Representative Ryan Lynch from Butte.

The State of Montana is literally banking on a failed company, CCCS Inc, that is unable to pay property taxes, to provide drug and alcohol treatment to Montana State Prisoners. The ship is sinking… Mayday Mayday and the State of Montana band plays on.

How excited are we now, Cynthia Wolken?

Butte Pre-Release and Alleged Sex Offender, Dr. Patrick McGree

December 28, 2017, prosecutors charged Dr. Patrick McGree, a longtime family physician in Butte, with two felony counts of sexual intercourse without consent, three counts of sexual servitude, and two counts of misdemeanor sexual assault.

McGree has been a physician in Butte for 31 years, working from an office on South Clark Street in recent years and also practicing at the North American Indian Alliance clinic in Butte.

Eric Sell, with the Department of Justice, confirmed that Dr. Patrick McGree, a family practice physician, is under investigation. Sell said the Butte-Silver Bow County sheriff’s office requested the state to investigate McGree in late December 2016. The Montana Department of Justice discloses that Dr. McGree operated a private clinic and also practiced at the North American Indian Alliance clinic in Butte. What the Montana Department of Justice does not disclose is that Dr. McGree also practiced at the Women’s Center at the Butte Pre-Release, Community Corrections and Counseling Services Inc (CCCS Inc).

Community Corrections and Counseling Services Inc (CCCS Inc) filed forms 990 with the IRS. Form 990 shows CCCS Inc paid Dr. McGree, as an independent contractor, $140,500.00 for services provided to the women at the center in 2015.
In 2016, CCCS Inc paid Dr. McGree $139,350.00 and in 2017, after the state began investigating Dr McGree for sexual assault and sexual servitude, CCCS Inc paid Dr. McGree $117,500.00 for services to the women at the Butte Pre-Release.

The Montana Department of Justice investigators, through their investigation, knew or should have known that women at the Butte Pre-Release were possible victims of sexual servitude to Dr. McGree. Community Corrections and Counseling Services Inc. (Butte Pre-Release) knew or should have known that Dr. McGree was under investigation from December 2016 for sexual assault and sexual servitude and continued to force women in 2017 to possible sexual assault and sexual servitude for services provided to the women under the care of CCCS Inc. Montana Department of Corrections knew or should have known that the women at Butte Pre-Release were being subjected to possible sexual assault and sexual servitude through services provided by Dr. McGree. All these agencies knew or should have known that the women at the Butte Pre-Release were possible victims of Dr. McGree and failed to identify them as victims.

The Department of Justice, Community Corrections and Counseling Services Inc and the Montana Department of Corrections failed in their duty to protect and identify each possible victim of Dr. McGree, even to the point of forcing these women to actually being possible victims and forcing them into sexual servitude.

The Montana State Legislature should call for an immediate investigation of The Department of Justice, Community Corrections and Counseling Services Inc and the Montana Department of Corrections for failure to disclose this information to prosecutors. All victims from the Butte Pre-Release need to be identified and provided with the necessary counseling and assistance to help them recover from the trauma inflicted from the actions of Community Counseling and Corrections Inc.

“The defendant said he wanted the agents to just pull his license and make it easier.” These are women with no voice. Who will be their voice? These women were not sentenced to sexual assault and sexual servitude. It was forced upon them by the people that had power over them. These people now need to be identified.

Montana Dept of Corrections and Community Counseling and Correctional Services Antiquated Treatment

Community Counseling and Correctional Services (CCCS) Inc is a not for profit, private correctional facility in Butte that contracts with the Montana Department of Corrections (MDOC) to incarcerate and provide treatment for adult offenders. CCCS Inc contracts with MDOC to provide addiction treatment at WATCH, the men’s program at Warm Springs and Watche, the women’s program in Glendive.

The men's WATCH program has a capacity of 115 individuals. CCCS Inc contracts with the Montana Department of Corrections for a per diem daily rate of $63.69. The total daily per diem rate is $7324.35. The treatment program lasts for 6 months or 180 days. The total cost of treatment for 115 individuals for 6 months is $1,318,383.00.

The women's WATCHe program has a capacity of 50 individuals. CCCS Inc contracts with the Montana Department of Corrections for a per diem daily rate of $103.62. The total daily per diem rate is $5181.00. The treatment lasts for 6 months or 180 days. The total cost of treatment for 50 individuals for 6 months is $932,580.00.

The total cost for 6 months of treatment for WATCH and WATCHe is $2,250,963.00.

The 2017 Legislature changed state law concerning treatment programs for people convicted of fourth or subsequent DUI. Whereas people convicted of a fourth or more felony DUI charge were previously required to either serve prison time or complete WATCh’s in-patient treatment, House Bill 133, a sweeping sentencing-reform bill passed last year, contains a provision that allows them to be sentenced to an appropriate treatment court program instead, which Mike Thatcher (CEO of CCCS Inc) finds baffling.

Baffling? Participants in treatment court programs are enrolled for 12 - 18 months at a cost of $4000.00 per offender. If all 165 WATCH's participants were treated in treatment court programs the total cost would be $660,000.00 for 12 months of treatment vs the $2,250,963.00 for 6 months of treatment through the CCCS Inc WATCH programs. In treatment court the offender has access to a social worker, an addiction counselor, a probation officer and a public attorney. They are required to find their own housing, get a job, pay taxes and are at home with their children rather than the children being farmed out to foster care or elderly grandparents. The job requirements for CCCS Inc is a high school diploma or GED vs a social worker, addiction counselor, a probation officer and a public attorney, all educated professionals.

Mike Thatcher and the Montana Department of Corrections operates on an antiquated belief system. Evidence-based practices (this is a popular phrase now used in the correctional system) shows that addictions are the result of early childhood trauma. Mike Thatcher believes Montanans "advocate that people should be completing WATCh as a ‘pound of flesh.’”

I believe that most Montanans advocate for the ability to provide housing, food, education and opportunities for their families. The antiquated "pound of flesh" phrase comes from Shylock, a character in the play The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare. He is a Jewish money-lender who lends money to Antonio. When Antonio is unable to pay the money back, Shylock says he has the right to cut a pound of flesh from Antonio's body. I don't believe that Montanans want to cut flesh from the bodies of victims of childhood trauma.

With a salary of a quarter of a million dollars a year, Mike Thatcher can afford a Shakespearean belief of cutting the flesh from trauma victims. Other Montanans cannot afford the huge tax burden of supporting CCCS Inc and the Montana Department of Corrections antiquated belief system. William Shakespeare died 400 years ago. In 400 years we have evolved to evidence-based practices for treating early childhood trauma. That evidence-based practice does not include cutting flesh from people.

Montanans advocate for improving the lives of their families. Unnecessary tax burdens of millions of dollars does not improve the lives of Montana tax payers, it only improves the bank balances of CCCS Inc and the political position of the Montana Department of Corrections.

Are you still baffled Mike Thatcher (CEO of CCCS Inc) and Reginald Michael (Director of MDOC)?

Private Corrections in Montana, CCCS Inc, The Bottomless Money Pit

CCCS Inc, (Community, Counseling and Corrections) in Butte Mt is also known as Butte Pre-Release and Women’s Transitional Center. CCCS Inc opened its doors December 24, 1983, as a private contract correctional facility. In 2002, CCCS Inc. successfully contracted with the Federal Bureau of Prisons to design, build and operate a 60-bed secure juvenile correction facility at Galen MT. The name of the juvenile center at Galen was Reintegrating Youthful Offenders (RYO). The total cost of the project was 9.6 million dollars.

CCCS Inc charged a daily per diem rate of $235.75 for each incarcerated youth. The facility operated for 12 years. $235.75 daily per diem X 60 beds = $14,145.00 per day. $14,145.00 X 365 days = $5,162,925.00 per year. $5,162,925.00 X 12 years = $61,955,100. The total cost of the project to CCCS Inc was 9.6 million dollars. CCCS Inc. was paid $62 million dollars for operating Reintegrating Youthful Offenders. CCCS Inc is a private contract prison facility.

Mike Thatcher, CEO of CCCS, said placement of offenders at the Reintegrating Youthful Offenders (RYO) facility, primarily serves the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the U.S. Marshal’s Service and Native American reservations across Montana.

Mike Thatcher said "the trend is to more alternative placements. I've been in this business 35 years and I've seen a lot of trends." He said it's "one of the crappiest things" he's experienced in his career.

Is it wise to send our children to a facility where it is unlikely that their parents or other significant adults in their lives will be able to have visitation with them and be involved in their intervention/treatment programs? How do Native Americans travel from far away reservations to Galen MT to be involved in their child's recovery? To Mike Thatcher the consideration of treating children in alternative placements closer to home is "one the crappiest things" he's experienced in his career. Mike Thatcher makes a salary of over one quarter of a million dollars a year. His private contract youth correctional facility has garnered $62,000,000.00. And so CCCS Inc closes RYO because of the "crappy decision" to treat children closer to their families. Don't be too concerned for Mike Thatcher and CCCS Inc because they found a deep pocket and silver lining called the State Of Montana.

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock’s office announced that the state would lease the RYO facility and operate it as a facility for those committed to the currently critically overcrowded Montana State Hospital at Warm Springs through the criminal justice system.

Montana officials signed a 19-year lease at the 38,000-square-foot former federal juvenile placement facility in Galen – terms that squeaked just under square footage and lease term requirements that would have triggered mandatory legislative review of the deal.

There was no competitive bidding process to award the Galen lease. In fact, officials said they didn’t even look at potential alternatives to the $1.2 million annual agreement.

That's how the state’s newest landlord became Community Counseling and Correctional Services – a Butte-based nonprofit that employs Brandie Villa, a top company accountant and the wife of Governor’s Office Budget Director Dan Villa.

The State of Montana is obligated to CCCS Inc for a 19 year lease that totals $22,800,000.00.  CCCS Inc has managed to turn one private contract correctional facility costing $9.6 million into a facility that has garnered taxpayer funds of $84.8 million.  

This is the profit in non profit private corrections in Montana.  To quote Mike Thatcher "this is one of the crappiest things" I've seen.

Private Corrections In Montana – The Joke Is On Montana

The Montana Department of Corrections contracts with Community Counseling and Correctional Services Inc. (CCCS Inc), also known as the Butte PreRelease Center, to provide correctional services in Montana. CCCS Inc also operates the Bismarck ND Transitional Center. CCCS Inc is a private not for profit correctional provider that pays exorbitant salaries to its’ executive officers at taxpayer expense.

CCCS Inc contracts with the Montana Department of Corrections for a per diem rate of $53.03 for each incarcerated male. There are 120 male beds at the Butte center. CCCS Inc contracts for a per diem rate of $62.27 for each incarcerated female. There are 55 female beds at the Butte center. Apparently being a female is a pre-existing condition and therefore costs more to treat.

CCCS Inc recently contracted with Bismarck ND Transitional Center to incarcerate and treat offenders at a per diem rate of $48.00 per day. This per diem rate is $5.03 per day less for each North Dakota incarcerated male than for each Montana incarcerated male. The cost of living in North Dakota is comparable to the cost of living in Montana.

At $5.03 per day for 120 beds, Montana is paying $603.60 more per day for the same service than North Dakota is paying. At $5.03 per day for 120 beds, Montana is paying $220,314.00 more per year for the same service to the same not for profit company than North Dakota is paying. North Dakota sure has better negotiating skills than Kevin Olson, Administrator for Montana Probation and Parole.

Montanans love their North Dakotan jokes. It seems the joke is on Montana. We are paying almost a quarter of a million dollars a year more to the same company for the same service. Eh, just raise Montana taxes, that will cover it.

The Profit in Montana Corrections- Community Counseling Corrections – Butte PreRelease

The Montana Department of Corrections contracts with private companies to provide correctional facilities within the state. Not for profit corrections sounds good, sounds charitable and sounds like a good deal for Montana tax payers. These are criminals and convicts. Why should you care?

The State of Montana pays CCCS Inc (Community Counseling Corrections – Butte Pre-Release Center) 30 million dollars a year. That’s why you should care. CCCS Inc. is a registered non profit company providing services to incarcerated people. See Income Tax Form 990 FY 7/1/2014 – 6/30/2015.

Let’s first look at some salaries in Montana Corrections.
Leroy Kirkegard – Warden Montana State Prison – $45.63 per hour
Joan Daly-Shinners – Warden Montana Women’s Prison – $44.20 per hour
Mike Thatcher – CEO at CCCS Inc. (non profit) – $119.00 per hour
Perry Hawbecker-Chief Financial Officer CCCS (non profit)- $58.61 per hour
Steve McArthur – Director Programming CCCS (non profit) – $62.85 per hour

$119.00 per hour salary for a CEO of a non profit organization in Montana. This salary is paid by your taxes to run a non profit correctional facility. CCCS Inc won’t even pay their own taxes to support their own salaries.

Parcel Number: 0002020200

Status: Delinquent

Type: RE

Owner: COMMUNITY COUNSELING CORRECTIONAL SERVIC

History:

Tax Year	Statement#	Bill Date	Bill Amount	Date Paid	** Paid Amount	Notes
2016	19524	11/01/2016	$917.86		$0.00 $0.00
2015	19552	10/15/2015	$897.84		$0.00 $0.00
2014	14850	10/10/2014	$851.74	11/28/2014 5/26/2015	$425.89 $425.85
2013	17096	10/18/2013	$797.88	12/13/2013 6/4/2014	$398.96 $398.92
2012	15933	10/19/2012	$705.08	12/6/2012 12/6/2012	$352.56 $352.52

Montana tax payers should not be paying salaries for private contract correctional facilities that are double the salaries for government run correctional facilities. If Montana is really looking at reducing correctional costs then we need to look at how tax money is being spent. This is how we are spending our money, doubling salaries for private correctional facilities. Does Montana really want to support exorbitant salaries or should we stop private corrections in Montana?