Overcrowding

The Missoula County Detention Facility was built back in the 1990's with a capacity of 400 inmates, but for quite some time, the jail population has been overcrowded, many times with men and women suffering from mental health and other problems that might not require incarceration.

The Missoula jail is packed and overcrowding has become a major problem for local policymakers. This week, the University of Utah’s Policy Innovation Lab announced that it has picked Missoula as one of six government entities, which will be receiving an influx of technical expertise and funding

The new Missoula County Detention Center opened almost 15 years ago, with broad community support, however, in recent months, the jail has reached its maximum capacity, and more space is needed.