10/15/2026
A video from the Billings Chamber of Commerce about the concerns with the Yellowstone County Jail.
434 capacity. 662 inmates.
The Yellowstone County jail is rated for 434 inmates. This morning it held 662 and that's not an outlier. With constant overcrowding, our justice system is continually deciding who gets let out to make room for the people who need to be brought in. Even worse, a consent decree from the federal courts could require the release of 200+ inmates and limit the jail to 434. As County Attorney Twito puts it in the video below:
"If we get to the point where I'm told by a federal court that I can't put more than 434 people in that facility, this community is going to suffer. And people are gonna be getting hurt that don't need to be getting hurt."
—County Attorney Scott Twito
We need to expand the jail. But don’t just take our word for it. Police officers, the county attorney, judges, mental health professionals and community corrections all agree. Hear from our local experts by watching the video below.
"We're full." Those two words have real consequences, for correctio...