Montana Senate Bill 65 was enacted by the request of the Commission on Sentencing. The heart of the law is to revise laws regarding housing options for offenders and to create a supportive housing grant program to reduce recidivism. Senate Bill 65 is a disappointing failure.
Once again, I think the people that comprised the Commission on Sentencing had a sincere desire to help offenders and to reduce recidivism by providing housing after leaving correctional facilities. Unfortunately, the first thing that jumps out at me is this bill authorizes probation and parole officers to carry firearms. Probation and parole officers should be allowed to carry firearms but I don't see where this enactment helps with housing. Under the same section that allows officers to carry firearms, they are to administer the rental voucher program. I am very confused how the carrying of firearms has anything to do with the rental voucher program. But I digress, let's look at the rest of the bill. Senate Bill 65 encourages the Department to coordinate with local governments and local agencies to identify all available housing options. Most communities and agencies are aware there is not enough affordable housing in their communities for citizens in need, let alone for those just being released from prison. How does this bill increase housing options if no options exist? This bill fails to create housing options. There are no housing options. Senate Bill 65 does not allocate any funds for housing. The bill is enacted on some obscure hope that federal and state grant money will be available to pay for this act. Section 2 states "within the limits of available funds...develop and administer a supportive grant program to improve access to housing..." "Grants available...consist of state appropriations and federal funds..." The State of Montana is in a budget crisis. There is no money in the state coffers to provide housing. The Federal Government is in a budget crisis. What state and federal grants are we looking at? In the unlikely event grant funds are given, the bill allows the grant money to be used to hire case managers, hire housing specialists, hire employees for housing placement services and to reimburse landlords for tenant-related damages. After hiring all these new state employees there won't be any money left for housing vouchers, just new state employees. This housing bill authorizes the "siting, establishment and expansion of prerelease centers". Prerelease centers are not housing options. Build it and they will come. Prerelease centers are only options for recidivism. If we build more centers we need more recidivism. This kind of blows the whole Commission on Sentencing out of the water. Reduce recidivism by increasing the need for recidivism. This next one is good. Senate Bill 65 requires the Department to "maintain data on the number of individuals who are discharged from the adult correction services into a homeless shelter or a homeless situation." Wait..I thought the purpose of this bill was to provide housing not homelessness. I guess providing housing grants went out the window to pay for all the new state employees hired to administer the housing grants. Now we have to hire someone to track the data on those discharged to a homeless shelter. This is very responsible use of grant money. No housing just new state employees. Senate Bill 65 is based on receiving obscure, unknown federal and state grants from government agencies that have no money. The grant money then will be used to hire new state employees to administer the grant money except all the grant money will be used to hire new employees to administer the grant money and there won't be any left to provide housing. Then to reduce recidivism, Senate Bill 65 authorizes the creation of new prerelease centers that will only increase recidivism because we have to fill the new centers with offenders. Then because all the grant money is used for new state employees, Senate Bill 65 requires the tracking of those released to homeless situations. Senate Bill 65 only creates new jobs for state employees and no housing options for offenders leaving correctional facilities.