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Celebrate Community: Life Lessons

By Susan Olp of the Gazette Staff
Published August 9, 2010.

Larry Walby grows a little bit of everything in the garden he oversees at Passages, a community corrections center for female offenders in Billings.

Meth treatment programs deliver success

Gazette Opinion
Published July 9, 2010.

Three years ago, Montana's Department of Corrections opened two methamphetamine treatment programs with high hopes of helping offenders get on the right path, one leading away from drug use and drug-related crime.

Mont. avoids drastic cuts in DOC budget

Gazette Opinion
Published April 14, 2010.

BILLINGS - The total number of prisoners held by the 50 states declined in 2009 for the first time in 38 years, according to the Pew Center on the States. In a report issued this month, Pew said that as of Jan. 1, state prisons held 1,404,053 people - 4,777 fewer than a year earlier.

Ziegler believes in purpose of pre-relase centers

By Ed Kemmick of the Gazette Staff
Published February 14, 2010.

BILLINGS - James "Ziggy" Ziegler is acutely aware of how difficult it is for society to deal with citizens who break the law.

Charting a path to straight and narrow

By Ed Kemmick of the Gazette Staff
Published February 14, 2010.

BILLINGS - Thirty years ago in Montana, there was one 350-bed prison for men in Deer Lodge and one very small minimum security prison for women in Lockwood.

Cuts threaten drug treatment center

By Jennifer McKee - Gazette State Bureau
Published February 2, 2010.

HELENA - Montana's only lockdown methamphetamine treatment center for women would get the ax if Gov. Brian Schweitzer follows through on the tentative cuts his Corrections Department submitted for consideration last week.

Batterers must attend intensive 26-week class

By Diane Cochran of The Gazette Staff
Published January 31, 2010.

BILLINGS - As he watched a series of men mistreat his mother, Kevin Foster swore he would not grow up to be that kind of guy.

Officials: Billings takes unfair share of sex offenders

By Ed Kemmick of The Gazette Staff
Published September 13, 2009.

BILLINGS - City and county law enforcement officials have been complaining for years that Billings is home to a disproportionate number of the state's registered sex offenders.

Dispute over proposed payments by Passages flares again

By Matt Hagengruber of The Gazette Staff
Published August 28, 2009.

BILLINGS - More than three years after the City Council approved the Passages program on South 27th Street, an uneasy standoff has developed between the city, Passages and the South Side Task Force.

Classes help female inmates learn skills before their release

By Diane Cochran of The Gazette Staff
Published August 28, 2009.

BILLINGS - Jadijo Reynolds intends to take a house to her next job interview.

It's small enough to be portable, and it's her proof that she's capable. She built it.

Marchers gather against drugs, violence

By Zach Benoit of The Gazette Staff
Published June 14, 2009.

BILLINGS - The friendly, positive vibe at Saturday's 12th annual March Against Drugs and Violence didn't lessen the seriousness of its subject matter.

Anti-violence March Gains Momentum

By Becky Shay of The Gazette Staff
Published June 10, 2009.

BILLINGS - Billings' March Against Drugs and Violence started 12 years ago with about nine kids - some of them so small they were pulled in a little red wagon - and a few of their parents.

Courts Try New SCRAM Bracelet

The Associated Press
Published in the Billings Gazette May 4, 2009.

HELENA - If you appear in court on a drunken-driving charge, the judge may tell you to SCRAM.

That's SCRAM, a registered trademark that stands for Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitor. It's another enforcement tool against drunken driving: an alcohol-sensing ankle bracelet that tests your sweat to see if you've been drinking.

Achievers

The Billings Gazette
Published April 6, 2009.

Organizations
Soroptimst International of Billings recently held its Annual Awards Banquet, "Celebrating Success." Many organizations were recognized with grants for their programs.

Alternatives, Inc. celebrates their 30th anniversary in 2010.