If you want to reduce jail overcrowding, start on mental health before the crime happens

If you want to reduce jail overcrowding, start on mental health before the crime happens

An artist's rendition of what a state psychiatric facility would look like. That facility is being proposed in Laurel, Montana. These building renderings were presented to state legislators on March 9, 2026 (via Montana Legislature, Children, Families and Public Health Committee). In April 2020, a mother was hiking the “M” trail in Missoula with her 13-year-old son for a needed respite from the COVID-19 lockdown. Their peace was shattered when t…