Tag: Montana mental health

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.






	


	
	






	
	

		
Montana Judges Shocking State Purchases
	


	

		
Governor Bullock recently warned Montanans about worst case scenario, level 4 budget cuts.  Agencies across the state are preparing to slash spending including medical care for the needy and mental-health services.  All state agencies will be affected – except perhaps the Judicial and Judiciary Branch.  Here is a look at shocking purchases made by Montana Judges on state credit cards, paid for by your tax money.


A judge charged their child’s school pictures to the State of Montana, Lifetouch School pictures.  Perhaps this is the same judge that made charges to Victoria Secret and Brockels Chocolates, in which case he will probably need the memories of the school pictures.  The judiciary branch made charges to Eyemart Express and Sagebrush Optical.  And here I thought judges were blind.  Maybe this judge needed to see the movies at Shiloh 14 and Carmike Theatre or maybe to see the play at Grandstreet Theatre.  Yes, you the Montana tax payer paid for these showings.


I especially like the purchase made, and paid by Montanans, for custom dog tags at Dogtagus.  I ask, why does a judge need custom dog tags?  We know who you are.  Maybe the judge uses them as ID when he or she goes to the Billings Family YMCA, The Women’s Health Club or Flathead Health and Fitness for which you are paying the club dues.  Maybe they need custom tags to enter the Wheels of Thunder Roller Skating Rink where apparently Montana tax payers paid for a party.


Montanans can rest easy that a female judge is well dressed.  The charges to Missguided assures us of that.  Missguided is a clothing store that targets women ages 16-35.  I don’t know many female judges that fit the age range but, again, maybe the Lifetouch memories are needed here.  Maybe the 16 year old judge paid for her own school pictures.


I am sure the purchases made at Michael’s Hobby Store, Party America, Zumiez and Hobby-Lobby will go a long way to assist those wrongfully convicted persons in rebuilding their lives.  Perhaps with the new eyeglasses the judges can at long last read the legal briefs that will free these wrongfully convicted souls.


But if the health club dues you are paying for is not enough to keep these judges fit you can relax knowing the many purchases at Scheel’s, North 40 Outfitters and Master Sports will fill the bill in providing the necessary outlet for the mental health of these fine people.  Never mind that the rest of Montana will have mental-health services cut and medical care for the needy will be cut.  The judge that charged personal insurance at Kemper Insurance will have his or her needs met.  And if this is still not enough the purchase at Pug Mahon Irish Pub should take care of the rest, unless this takes us back to Victoria Secret and the need for the school picture memories.


The State of Montana checkbook should be used for the good of Montana.   I fail to see where Victoria Secret is for the good of Montana except maybe we have a happy judge.   Governor Bullock, please find the happy judge and get the money back and give it to somebody to buy their medication so they don’t commit suicide.


Find all this information at Montana’s Checkbook online.  Governor Bullock, please look at your website.