In advancing the agreement between the city and the county in the building of a short-term holding facility (STHF), the County Commissioners responded this week to the Billings City Council’s offer in February to contribute a total of $2 million to the cost.
The temporary holding facility will be built to hold inmates for only 72 hours. It is viewed as a short-term solution to the over-crowded Yellowstone County Detention Facility. The long-term solution is to build a major addition to the Yellowstone County Detention Facility, which both city and county officials agree as being the best solution for the future. That project is also being pursued by county officials. A county is the only governmental entity allowed to operate a jail.
The STHF is viewed as being an “alternative option to the detainment of low-risk, non-violent offenders who are currently not being incarcerated and continue to offend the community.”
The Commissioners’ letter to city officials says that they will … Read Full Story here
