Staff at the Flathead Valley Reentry Center are wrapping up training as the facility prepares to accept its first residential inmates on Oct. 27.  

Elected officials and members of the press toured the new 90-bed prelease center Wednesday. Located at 1150 E. Oregon St. in Evergreen, the building was formerly Greenwood Village Inn & Suites. 

Prerelease centers are used by the state to transition offenders back into society. Residents are required to find employment and are expected to stay for six to nine months. 

Speaking ahead of the Oct. 22 tour, Montana Department of Corrections Director Brian Gootkin thanked stakeholders for supporting the prerelease center.  

“This is going to be the best prerelease center in the country. I mean, it's so beautiful, let alone in Flathead Valley,” said Gootkin, who was nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as United States Marshal for the District of Montana earlier in the week.  

He gave thanks in particular to the Flathead County commissioners, who approved the project after signing an interlocal agreement in July. Commissioner Pamela Holmquist cast the sole dissenting vote. 

“We're going to be an awesome partner,” Gootkin said. “We're going to be transparent, and we're going to work with local government and do everything we can to make sure this is safe.” 

County officials were hesitant to move forward with the project amid safety and security concerns as it sits adjacent to a residential neighborhood. A conditional use permit for the facility was approved by the Flathead County Board of Adjustment in February following the settlement of a lawsuit brought on by the state. 

The state took the board to court last year after it originally denied the permit. 

During the tour, staff showed off security technology and protocols designed to protect the surrounding community. 

The center’s camera system is equipped with facial recognition technology, which allows security staff to identify individuals coming in and out of the building. Inmates leave on a pre-approved schedule and are required to check in at the security desk in the front lobby.  

“This is not a secure facility, and nor can we be one,” said Jim Sanderson, the center’s operations manager. “Quite honestly, secure facilities and reentry programs, they don't go together because [inmates are] reentering [society].” 

Geofencing, a virtual security system, is set up outside the building's windows and doors. Anyone crossing the invisible line will trigger an alert at the security desk. The doors are also in sync with cameras, so if one opens without authorization, adjacent cameras will alert security staff. 

Although staff are unarmed and exit doors remain unlocked, residents in the reentry program are incentivized against escaping. Any inmate who leaves without permission is considered an escaped convict, Sanderson said.  

“If they make the determination they're going to walk away from here, they're making the determination that they're going to commit a crime,” Sanderson said. “They're now an escaped convict ... and the consequence is going back to a secure facility for 12 months.” 

Sanderson noted the program is an investment for both the state and the convicts benefiting from it. The Department of Corrections selects participants based on behavioral track records during their time in prison.  

“They have to earn their way here,” he said. “It's a silly, silly, stupid waste of resources if you're just housing people. We don't have a desire to just house people here. This is a really good thing to happen to that individual felony offender, to be able to go through this process.” 

MOST RESIDENTS are housed in rooms on the second floor, grouped together based on their level in the program. Rooms on the first floor are reserved for those with disabilities.  

The reentry program is split into four phases. 

Phase I is a week-long orientation for new residents. In this phase, their mental health needs are assessed, and an individualized treatment plan is crafted based on the assessment. Residents are barred from leaving the premises during the first week.  

After intake, residents move into the employment and programming phase. Case managers assist residents in getting their state IDs and other materials needed for employment. 

All residents are required to get a job to stay at the center, where they pay $16 a day for room and board. The Montana Department of Corrections is partnering with Jobs Service Kalispell to help secure work for residents.  

The third phase focuses on independence and stability, where residents begin prepping for life outside the center. They’re educated in financial literacy, taught how to schedule medical appointments and trained to make productive use of their leisure time.  

The fourth and final phase is discharge planning. Residents at this level work closely with their case managers to transition out of the center and finally reenter society. The second and third phases are at least 30 days long, and case managers work with mental health staff to determine when a resident is ready to level up.  

Residents are subject to four random drug tests every month, which include breathalyzers, urinalysis and saliva tests. Aside from working full-time jobs, residents must make their beds every morning, undergo therapy and attend group meetings.  

“We're really excited to get off the ground, get running, start bringing some resident inmates here into the facility,” Sanderson said. “I really think there's going to be really good return on the state's investment.” 

Reporter Hannah Shields can be reached at 758-4439 or [email protected].