Because for the first time in almost 40 years, the number of prisoners in the United States actually declined, according to a survey by Pew Center on the States. In Montana, the population dropped by 0.1 percent. From the report:
As of January 2010, there were 1,403,091 persons under the jurisdiction of state prison authorities, 5,739 fewer than on December 31, 2008.
This marks the first year-to-year drop in the nation’s state prison population since 1972. While the study showed an overall decline, it revealed great variation among jurisdictions. The prison population declined in 27 states, while increasing in 23 states and in the federal system.
Hardin’s Two Rivers Detention Center was built in 2007 as an economic development project. Based on previous trends (.pdf) that saw a steady inmate growth nationwide, it appeared that filling an additional 464 jail beds would be easy. It wasn’t. And after several years of failing to lure prisoners from Montana or elsewhere, Two Rivers officials became desperate.
They offered to house terror suspects from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. When that didn’t work out, the city was approached by the California company American Police Force and a deal appeared to be within reach until it was revealed that the head of the company had a long history of fraud.
Now Hardin is in negotiations with the Crow Tribe, which has said it is considering buying or leasing the dormant jail and turning it into a drug and alcohol treatment center.