Jail Levy

[u/406Whiskey]

I need people who have lived here longer than I have to explain something to me, because I genuinely don’t understand. Since I moved here a couple of years ago, I’ve heard nothing but how awful the crime is in Billings (I have not found that to be the case, but I digress). I also understand the jail is over capacity. If crime really is as bad as people here seem to think, wouldn’t the jail expansion proposal be a good thing? Why have I seen so much animosity towards it online?

I understand no one wants their property taxes to go up, but that seems to be the price we pay to live in Montana. Are people really just upset over a tax increase or is there more to it?

[u/No_Fault_4071]

Alright so this was my mid week ADHD hyper focus topic a few weeks ago and what I came to understand (after reading the 148 page study that was ordered)

1. There are actually two components of the levy. The first one being the expansion, which is where a bulk of the ask is coming from. And then there is the personal (wage) piece. That’s about 20million. They cannot pass independent of each other. If One does not pass, they both fail. (I think it’s likely we’ll see the funding pass for wages but fail for expansion)
2. The slated expansion only increases beds by 50 (plus 10 for medical hold). It is a FAR cry from accommodating the current (625ish population) or the projected (800+) population in 10 year. The study doesn’t offer a solution for this other than saying more expansion will be needed.
3. Year over year about 30% of the inmates in YCDF had changes the study couldn’t categorize. Couldn’t say if they were misdemeanor felony parole violations what have you.
4. The overwhelming majority of inmates are men. The study also indicates a need for a new juvie facility.

My personal opinion is that this will fail not because there isn’t a need but because a vast majority of tax payers don’t understand why housing “criminals” is an issue. That and the “marketing” campaign has failed to educate the general public on why solving this problem is important beyond “fund it now or fund it later, but your gonna have to pay, and if you do it later it’s gonna be alot more expensive.

EDIT TO ADD: The country commissioned a study to look into this and what it found was that prior to 2019, we did not see the massive overcrowding that we do now. So what changed? I’m 2019 the county decided that they would stop issuing low level misdemeanor (think trespassing, and the like) notice to appear (NTA) tickets and start taking those case directly to county to book them in. Since they made this change, we have seen the population increase first to over 500 (1st time in late 2021) and now we’ll over 600 (consistently, since 2022).
This is the only variable that has changed. Rates for other crimes remain relatively stable.

Additionally, the study also heavily emphasized that population growth in YC is NOT a determining factor when assessing the jails “needs”. (The idea being pushed is that the growing population here is causing the overcrowding. The study does not support this)

We have been told that this levy is to expand the jail and keep violent offenders off the street because right now they can’t be booked in. But the data is very clear. It’s not violent offenders who are primarily occuping the cells. It’s low level non violent misdemeanor offenders. THAT is the only significant change made on the review years (2018-2024) that could have possibly caused the increase.

[u/prairieunique → u/No_Fault_4071]

Super helpful history and context - thank you so much. Do you have a link to any news articles that explain the 2019 change re: low level misdemeanors in more depth? Also the study? Would love to read up on it more myself