Pine Hills Youth Correctional Facility
Pine Hills Youth Correctional Facility is a prison for juvenile inmates, aged 10 to 17, that is located near Miles City, Montana. It is the only long-term facility in the state for youthful offenders committed by the District Youth Courts, and it has a dedicated intake unit that classifies youth male offenders.
Every day, each inmate has 16 hours of scheduled programming that begins at 6:15 a.m. Each inmate has a treatment program tailored for them, and those programs include substance abuse treatment and sex offender reprogramming.
All correctional officers at Pine Hills are required to complete 120 hours of Juvenile Specific Basic Correctional Officer training through the MT Law Enforcement Academy, plus an additional 40 hours of on-site training.
Officers must also apply for certification through the Peace Officers Standards and Training Council. The professional staff consists of bachelor and master’s level employees with multiple years of experience in juvenile corrections and counseling. Employees having direct contact with youth participate in at least 40 hours of training each year.
Prison Insights
Pine Hills Youth Correctional Facility
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Visiting Hours and Rules
All visits at Pine Hills Youth Correctional Facility must be scheduled in advance by contacting the inmate's caseworker at (406)-232-1377. Visits can last between one to four hours, depending on the caseworkers approval and the number of visitors scheduled for that day.
Inmates are allowed to receive one visit per day. Visiting hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 am-9:00 pm, and on Saturdays and Sundays from 9:00 am-7:00 pm.
Approval of Visitors
Upon admission, inmates are provided with visitor questionnaires and rules that they can mail to prospective visitors. Additional questionnaires are available in the housing units.
To be approved for visiting, a prospective visitor must complete the questionnaire completely and accurately. Separate questionnaires must be submitted by everyone over the age of 18.
People planning to visit a youth in Pine Hills Youth Correctional Facility are required to contact the youth's assigned caseworker at (406) 232-1377 in advance to make arrangements.
All visitors are subject to a criminal history background check before visiting the secure facility. If a potential visitor has a criminal background, the visit must be approved by the facility’s superintendent.
Visitor Searches
All visitors and visitor property on prison premises are subject to search at any time. If a visitor refuses to submit to a required or reasonable suspicion search, he or she will be turned away.
Allowed Items
Visitors are allowed to bring the following items listed down below. All other personal property items (including cell phones, chewing gum, and cough drops) are to be left in the visitor's vehicle or in the visitor lockers provided. Pine Hills Youth Correctional Facility is not responsible for lost or stolen items.
- one clear, Ziploc-type sandwich bag
- two vehicle keys and a key fob on a bare ring (nothing else on the ring)
- state- or federal-issued identification card with a physical description of the holder, a facial photograph and current mailing address
- no more than $20 in pocket change or cash, with no bills larger than a $1 bill. Pocket change must be loose (no coins in rolls).
Visitors with small babies may bring:
- one clear, empty plastic bottle or “sippy” cup per baby
- one factory-sealed container of baby food (spoons are provided in the visiting room)
- baby formula – one clear Ziploc-type sandwich bag containing only the amount needed for the visit. Breastfeeding is allowed with the use of an approved blanket.
- one factory-sealed package of baby wipes
- four diapers
- one pacifier
- one teething ring or toy – must be one piece, hard plastic.
- two blankets, not quilted and no larger than 3' x 3'
Baby carriers and diaper bags are not allowed.
General Visiting Rules
- Visitors, under 18 years of age, must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian and be approved by the youth's caseworker.
- Visitors are required to sign a form agreeing to obey all visiting rules.
- All visitors are subject to search upon entering the facility and must present valid photo identification, such as a driver license or passport.
- All vehicles are to be securely locked while they are on the Pine Hills campus.
- All handbags, wallets, backpacks, cell phones and other personal items must be secured in a locked vehicle or in the lockers available where visitors check in.
- Pine Hills is a tobacco free facility; all tobacco products, lighters, matches, etc. must be secured in a locked vehicle.
- Cameras may be brought into the facility and left in the Business Office or with Security. Staff may take photos for you and the youth if time and staff availability allow.
- Approved clothing brought for the youth must be left at the Business Office or Security Office.
- Money (cash and money orders only) may be deposited into the youth's account at the time of a visit or left with a Security Officer for deposit on the next business day. You will be issued a receipt for all transactions.
- Food items may be brought to the visitors' room and will be inspected by Security staff. No food items may be taken to the youth’s housing unit.
- Youth and visitors may embrace and kiss at the beginning and end of visits and hold hands during a visit. All other forms of physical contact are prohibited and will be cause for termination of a visit.
- The shift supervisor or designee must approve visitation outside of the visitors' room.
- Exceptions to Pine Hills visiting rules may be made in emergency situations.
- Visitation may be terminated at any time for facility safety and/or security reasons.
- If a visitor desires to leave the visiting room and return, an adult must remain with the youth; otherwise, the visit will be terminated.
- Any violation of visitation rules is immediate grounds for ending the visit.
Physical Address
Pine Hills Youth Correctional Facility
4 North Haynes Ave.
Miles City, MT 59301
Driving Directions: https://goo.gl/maps/uGm2B8Cg7i5nycH67
General Phone Number
(406) 232-1377
Inmate Mailing Address(es)
Inmate Name, DOC Number, and Housing Unit
Pine Hills Youth Correctional Facility
4 North Haynes Ave.
Miles City, MT 59301
How to Call an Inmate
You can’t call an inmate at Pine Hills Youth Correctional Facility, but they do have access to phones during daytime hours and can make outgoing calls, which are typically made collect or through a prepaid account.
At no time are incoming calls accepted for inmates, nor are messages taken. For complete details on how to call an inmate in Montana, please click here.
How to Send Money
To send money to an inmate, you must be approved to be on that inmate’s visiting list.
Inmates may receive funds from:
- their attorney
- immediate family members listed on their approved visiting list
- one approved, non-family member authorized by the warden or his or her designee. Inmates may request that the non-family member be changed to another approved non-family member, but this can only occur once every six months.
Online
Approved individuals may place money in the inmate’s trust account through the online Inmate Trust Account Deposits service at https://app.mt.gov/inmatebanking/. There is a $250 limit for transactions.
Instructions on how to use the system are available online. To create an account, you will need the last four digits of your Social Security number.
There is a three-day holding period before funds are available to the inmate. Your receipt shows the date the funds will be available.
Money Order
Approved individuals may mail money to an inmate in the form of a cashier’s check or a U.S. Postal money order. Personal checks are not accepted and are returned to the sender.
The cashier’s check or money order must include:
- the inmate’s full name and DOC number
- the sender’s full name and address
In addition:
- Funds must be received within 20 days of the date of purchase.
- The envelope containing the cashier’s check or money order must be postmarked from the immediate area in which the approved sender’s listed residence is located.
- If the sender cancels a money order after it has been received at MSP, staff notify Postal Service authorities.
Mailroom staff stamps the inside of the envelopes with the amount sent and forwards the mail to the inmates, so they know how much money was deposited in their trust accounts.
Programs For Inmates
Pine Hills provides 16 waking hours of scheduled activities beginning at 6:15 a.m. each day, using a cognitive restructuring approach. A treatment plan is developed within the first month’s stay.
CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY TREATMENT
The Chemical Dependency program offers a therapeutic milieu for youth who are court ordered to complete CD treatment, or who are found to meet diagnostic criteria for substance dependency issues following intake testing at Pine Hills.
The CD program focuses on group sessions using Seeking Safety - an evidence-based, present-focused counseling model to help youth attain safety from trauma and/or substance abuse. Groups are facilitated by licensed addiction counselors and the program generally takes six to eight months for youth to complete.
Youth who take part in the CD program also engage in casework centered on addressing the dynamic needs identified at intake. Emphasis is placed on healthy lifestyle development and relapse/recidivism prevention.
SEXUAL OFFENDER TREATMENT
The Sexual Offender Treatment program offers a therapeutic milieu for youth who are court ordered to complete sexual offender treatment. The program reflects the current standards of treatment and assessment set by the Montana Sexual Offender Association (MSOTA). Honesty and accountability are the focus of treatment compliance.
Each youth experiences at least one polygraph exam to assess levels of disclosures made in treatment, usually occurring after the first six months of therapy. Treatment is led by an MSOTA member and licensed professional counselor, using Dr. Phil Rich’s Stages of Accomplishment treatment curriculum. Based on levels of involvement in the group and facility settings, the program generally takes a youth 12-24 months to complete.
EVIDENCE-BASED PROGRAMMING
All youth who arrive at Pine Hills are assessed and screened for risk, strengths, and needs. An individual case plan is built for each youth to help address his unique situation, including interactive journaling using the “Forward Thinking” journaling series.
Youth also participate in, “Thinking for Change,” a cognitive-behavioral curriculum developed by the National Institute of Corrections that concentrates on changing the criminogenic thinking of offenders.
Pine Hills also requires youth to attend, “Dialectical Behavior Therapy,” skills group (DBT) to help address and treat youth who display symptoms of trauma, mood disorders, and personality disorders. Its skills-based groups work well with youth who have experienced multiple treatments and are still struggling.
COUNSELING CENTER
Youth placed in Pine Hills are tested and screened in Pine Hills new Counseling Center that is located on the secure side of the facility. The Counseling Center is staffed by the facility addiction and mental health staff that include licensed therapists, licensed addiction counselors and a licensed Psychologist.
The center provides a forum for youth to engage in comprehensive intake testing that includes: academic testing, mental health and CD screening, and identification of treatment plan areas of needs and development.
Additionally, the center provides a therapeutic space for youth to engage in one to one and group sessions with clinical staff. The center provides a, “non-institutional,” setting that is conducive to a variety of therapeutic styles and programming for the kids.
EDUCATION
Pine Hills is accredited by the Montana Board of Education and offers classes 12 months a year. Programs in Life Skills and Technical Education prepare students for life outside of Pine Hills. They offer Diploma or GED options and have Special Education programs available to students as well.
All areas of life at Pine Hills involve the Earned Incentive Program (EIP). EIP is based on the youth’s behavior and progress toward treatment objectives. This provides the youth with regular feedback on his behavior within the controlled environment of the facility, daily, and long term. A menu of specific expectations and earned privileges is attached to each EIP step.
RESTITUTION
Pine Hills provides on and off grounds community service/restitution opportunities. Part of the restitution program includes education in vocational skills, construction practices, safety training, and employment skills.
Pictures of Pine Hills Youth Correctional Facility
Careers at Pine Hills Youth Correctional Facility
If you are interested in a career with the Montana Department of Corrections at the Pine Hills Youth Correctional Facility, you can find out more information by clicking here.
