Tag: Montana State Prison drug and alcohol treatment

“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?