These 3 Counties Are The Top Leaders For Montana Prison Inmates

As Montana grows, so does the number of crime-related incidents which will lead to more people entering the criminal justice system, or prison. Another problem our criminal justice system faces daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly, is a staffing shortage. We are constantly hearing about the lack of bed space available for inmates on all levels.

One would think that big cities would have the most criminals, but studies show that isn't necessarily true when it comes to our prison population.

My question is, "Where did all of our prison inmates come from". As in, what towns or counties are sending the most people to prison?

The latest from our census bureau shows that these three counties are responsible for sending the most people to prison.

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Yellowstone County may be responsible for sending the most people to prison, but smaller counties such as Silver Bow and Custer Counties send people to prison at the highest rates. -PrisonPolicy.org

The report also shows that there is a significant change in number depending on what community you are living in.

Let's take Billings, for example, the largest city in the state of Montana. If you live on the South Side you have more of a likelihood to enter into the prison system, than if you are living in the Highlands neighborhood. You are actually 15 times more likely to go to prison if you are living in the South Side neighborhood.

cc: Prisonpolicy.org