As 2025 wraps up, Montana Free Press journalists are reflecting on their work over the year and anticipating upcoming stories for 2026.
This year, I added around 20,000 miles to my car while covering Montana for MTFP.
Transportation was one of my beats, focusing on planes and trains rather than cars and roads. Among the highlights was Jacob Olness’s report on Montana highway crash rates, a must-read for holiday travelers.
Prison overcrowding in Montana was another focus. The Legislature greenlit a long-term expansion plan, initiating new inmate housing construction and scouting sites for new facilities.
One article highlighted the construction of new units adding 120 beds at the Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge. With about 600 men serving time outside the state, in Arizona or Mississippi, this increase is crucial. Limited space also leaves many inmates stuck in county jails.
The Montana Department of Corrections plans a new women’s facility beyond the current Montana Women’s Prison in Billings. In June and November, reports detailed potential locations, plus plans to double Boulder’s facility capacity.
In other reports, I covered a water line break at the state prison causing a water service crisis. September brought stories of reduced funding for a parenting program, straining inmates’ family connections.
Summer found me in Anaconda, reporting on the town’s economic crossroads after a tragic mass shooting in August.
WHAT’S ON THE HORIZON FOR 2026
In 2026, prison-related stories will remain a priority. House Bill 5 allocated $186 million for new prison dorms and facility updates at MSP. Monitoring the use of these funds is crucial. The Department of Corrections also plans to expand the women’s prison in Boulder and has funding for a new facility, though the location is undecided.
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A year on the little-bit-of-everything beat
A throughline this year was the overcrowding in Montana prisons. In 2025, the Legislature approved long-term prison expansion, began building additional housing for inmates and scouted locations for new correctional facilities.
The year on the Great Falls beat
Reporter Matt Hudson’s 2025 reinforced the old journalism lesson about the importance of showing up in person.
New-to-Missoula program aims to keep teens out of the criminal justice system
Missoula County Public Schools has partnered with the Kalispell-based nonprofit Center for Restorative Youth Justice to help hold students accountable while giving them a chance to learn from and repair the situation, rather than involving them in the juvenile justice system.
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