The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1958-12-12
Recommendations

go
: In General-The following recon-
mendations are based on the assump.
ton and the idea that ultimately the
entire prison now located in the town
of Deer Lodge will be permanently
transferred to site on the Prison
Ranch. T h e newly-acquired land,
which consists of about $4,000 acres,
!, offers great potential for construc-
ton of an adequate prison contain
ing all of the facilities required to
operate correctional system in keep
ing with the modern concepts of pen
ology.
This area, and the building pro-
gram started there, indicate far
/ sighted planning. The site where the
new minimum security building is
presently under construction is ideal
from every point of view. The area
available for expansion is ample for
many years to come. The location is
level, well-drained, offers good foun-
dation conditions and would effective
ly isolate the institution from the
hazards. of the present downtown
location. 1t would be economical to
maintain the old, walled prison only
as long as necessary, and to begin
construction on an entirely new pris-
on in the area south and west of the
Ranch No. buildings where the mini
mum security unit is already under
construction.
Application by the Board of Ex-
aminers was made to the Housing and
Home Finance Agency for an advance
of money to finance planning for the
prison. The federal agency will be
reimbursed as the buildings are con-
structed, but no reimbursement is to
be made for unused plans. The appli-
cation was approved a week before
this report was printed.
A minimum of expenditure should
be made in remodeling the old build
ings in view of plans for eventual
transfer of facilities to the new loca-
ton. In the interim period, however,
provisions should be made for inn
proving food preparation facilities
and for certain other remodeling
New construction should envisage
a complete and modern correctional
institution, in harmony with advanced |
thinking in this field with projection
of needs as far in the future as is
possible to predict. Provisions should |
be made for expansion of facilities as
needs grow without alterations of |
constructed buildings. Such
expansion should, wherever possible,
be in the form of additional complete
building units rather than small addi-
tons. In some cases, such as the
hospital and kitchen, it may be neces-
sary to size the facilities at this time
for needs in the future.
Prison Labor-It is the recommen-
dation of the Legislative Council that
the use of inmate labor on major con-
struction projects be discouraged. Ex-
perience has shown that the use of
inmate labor is a "false economy" and
does not represent the savings it is
sometimes thought to. 1t is difficult
to cultivate in prison inmates the care
and responsibility of free men work
ing for wages. Inmates will often
waste materials, will be careless in
their work and some times will DELHI
erately destroy or sabotage material
and equipment. The use of prison
abor can measurably impede the con-
;truction of building when frequent
y the time element is critical. The use
If inmate labor will require greater
than the use of outside
workers and will require supervision
over longer period of time. Further ,
more, there are not at any one time ,
enough inmates trained in building
5rades to undertake a construction
project of very great proportion.
The entire investment of public
'unds could be placed in jeopardy if :
Door workmanship were incorporated
n the final project. The damage from
leaking roof can far exceed the
.ost of a proper one. 1t is believed /,
hat the state will, in the long run,
ave money by putting their prison
buildings out on contract.
Prison-made construction material, 1
however, if the manufacture is care {
ully supervised, can be used in con-
friction at considerable savings to {
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