Polson an option for prerelease center

POLSON — Although the proposal is very preliminary at this stage, Polson has been named as an option for a new state prerelease center.

The primary aim of prerelease centers is to help offenders as they transition from prison back into the community. There are currently four prerelease centers in Montana, located in Missoula, Helena, Great Falls and Butte.

Because the Montana Legislature authorized adding a prerelease center in northwestern Montana during the 2007 session, the Montana Department of Corrections has been seeking a site for a proposed center for the south side of Kalispell. The idea was met with some opposition though last month, as nearly three-quarters of the nearby property owners objected to the site’s location in a survey.

Although department officials say they are committed to developing a center in Kalispell, the state is prohibited from proceeding with the process if the opposition stays a majority. After the survey was taken, Lake County Commissioner Bill Barron was contacted by the MDOC about the possibility of bringing a prerelease center to the Polson area.

“It’s all very preliminary right now,” Barron said. “The state still wants to put one in Kalispell, but if they can’t get it passed they asked us if we would be interested in a center in Polson.”

The commissioner and former Lake County Sheriff explained the center would provide jobs and a boost to the local economy, while making it easier for area families to visit their loved ones in the facility.

“They don’t have problems with the prerelease centers as much, it’s not like you would have a lot of criminals running around town all of a sudden,” Barron said. “Basically the benefit would be an economic impact for us.”

According to state documents, Polson’s name was first brought up in the same sentence as prerelease centers in fall 2006 when the state met with local law enforcement agencies proposing 40-bed facilities both in Polson and Kalispell.

Polson Police Chief Doug Chase is no stranger to prerelease centers, as he served as the Missoula County Sheriff for nearly 12 years.

“In my experience, location is always the big thing,” Chase said, “and it only takes one thing to raise heightened awareness and scrutiny in the community.”

The chief explained that the significance of location is always an issue as seen in Kalispell, but Missoula found a proper fit with the prerelease center, putting it next to the county jail. Chase said in his years as sheriff, the Missoula facility never had any significant problems or violence other than the occasional walkaway.

The downsides are obvious, dealing with prisoners and the unknown, causing public concern, Chase said. Then there is the possible raise in taxation on human services from an influx of prisoner’s families relocating to town.

However, the chief stated he saw the good outweighing the bad with the number of good jobs with decent salaries and benefits that would be created.

“If you’re going to have an alternative to incarceration, then this is an alternative place where you’re under heavy supervision and a strict set of guidelines,” Chase added. “My take is you’re never going to get them straightened out if you don’t give them a chance.”