WATCH East

The Montana Department of Corrections maintains a searchable public database of all of the inmates they have in custody.

In addition, the inmate search contains information about prisoners, parolees, and probationers who are currently under supervision. It also contains sex offenders, violent offenders, and those inmates who have absconded or escaped.

The actual prison that an inmate is assigned to depends on factors such as security classification, remaining time of their sentence, gang affiliation, and location of their residence.

The Montana State Prison System began in 1871, when the first state prison in Montana opened in unincorporated Powell County.

Today the state of Montana Prison System maintains 4 state-run prisons, and another 18 contracted prisons.

With a staff of 1,400 correctional workers, as of the end of 2023 they oversee approximately 4,000 inmates, with another 10,500 on parole or supervised release.

The following will explain the instructions, tricks and hacks you can use to find any inmate in custody with the Montana Department of Corrections.

Montana Department of Corrections Inmate Search Instructions

The Montana Department of Corrections provides a limited amount of information you may want to know about any inmate in their system, however they do list every inmate. Inmates in custody have their crimes listed, as well as previous convictions. They also list all inmates who have been discharged.

If you have further questions after reviewing this page, call, fax or email:

Phone: 406-444-3930
Fax: 406-444-4920
Email: corpio@mt.gov

To look up an inmate, you need at least the first three letters of the last name and the first intial of the first name. 

• You can list all inmates who share the same last name and first name.
• You can search an inmate using their DOC ID Number.

The first set of results if you used the full last name will list their name, Date of Birth, and Status. Click on the linked Name to get to the inmate's page.  In this example we used a last name of 'Smith', first initial of 'J'.

The inmate's page will have quite a bit of information, including an inmate's mugshot.

In order to send money to an inmate, friends and family must be an approved visitor. 

Once this is done, you must deposit money online through Montana's website.

Instructions for sending money to an inmate.

You can also send an inmate a money order or cashier's check, not exceeding $250.

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. 

WATCH East uses IC Solutions for their Video Visitation services.

You must be an approved visitor in order to visit an inmate.  Apply here.

In order to visit with your inmate online, you must first register with IC Solutions.
There are three ways to visit remotely with your inmate:
1.    Using your personal computer.
2.    Using the IC Solutions iphone or Android app.
3.    Using the IC Solutions visitation kiosk in the jail lobby.

How it Works
Register or Log in here. 

• Once you are logged into your existing IC Solutions account or have created a new account and are logged in, you must select Register for Video and enter the facility name.
• Select your Inmate.
• Fund your account using either a Visa, Mastercard credit or debit card.
• Schedule a Visit.

Registering and Scheduling Video Visits Instructions

'Understanding IC Solutions Video Visits' Instructions

Remote Visitation using the IC Solutions app
Download your phone app:
iphone
Android
Instruction for using the IC Solutions app 

Cost of a Remote Video Visit

• The cost for a remote video visit ranges from $7-10 for 20-25 minute visit. Rates are subject to change.

Video Visitation Rules
Understanding the rules completely are the responsibility of both you and your inmate. Not knowing the rules will NOT be accepted as an excuse if you make a mistake and violate them. Disobeying them could result in being banned from have future visits.
•    Any inmate or visitor whose behavior is disruptive during a visit may have his/her visiting privileges suspended/terminated.
•    All visits are subject to monitoring and recording.
•    All visits must be scheduled 6 hours prior to the appointment or up to 13 days in advance.
•    You must check-in 15 minutes prior to the scheduled visit.
•    Valid picture identification (e.g., driver's license, State I.D., or Military I.D. with picture) is required of all visitors, with the exception of children under the age of 17.  
•    Visitors under the age of 17 must be accompanied and supervised by an authorized adult visitor.
•    Visitors who 'arrive' after the scheduled start time may not be allowed to visit.
•    Clothing must cover all private/sensitive body areas.
•    The visitation schedule may be canceled or altered on holidays or for safety/security reasons.
•    WATCH East can disconnect, deny, change, or cancel a visit at any time.
•    Internet connectivity issues during offsite visits will NOT be refunded.
•    Each visitation session will show a timer to display elapsed time.
•    After your visit has ended your connection will be terminated automatically.

WATCH East uses IC Solutions for their Remote Video Visitation services.

In order to visit with your inmate online, you must first register with IC Solutions.
There are three ways to visit remotely with your inmate:
1.    Using your personal computer.
2.    Using the IC Solutions iphone or Android app.
3.    Using the IC Solutions visitation kiosk in the jail lobby.

How it Works
Register or Log in here. 

• Once you are logged into your existing IC Solutions account or have created a new account and are logged in, you must select Register for Video and enter the facility name.
• Select your Inmate.
• Fund your account using either a Visa, Mastercard credit or debit card.
• Schedule a Visit.

Registering and Scheduling Video Visits Instructions

'Understanding IC Solutions Video Visits' Instructions

Remote Visitation using the IC Solutions app
Download your phone app:
iphone
Android
Instruction for using the IC Solutions app 

Cost of a Remote Video Visit

• The cost for a remote video visit ranges from $7-10 for 20-25 minute visit. Rates are subject to change.

Video Visitation Rules
Understanding the rules completely are the responsibility of both you and your inmate. Not knowing the rules will NOT be accepted as an excuse if you make a mistake and violate them. Disobeying them could result in being banned from have future visits.
•    Any inmate or visitor whose behavior is disruptive during a visit may have his/her visiting privileges suspended/terminated.
•    All visits are subject to monitoring and recording.
•    All visits must be scheduled 6 hours prior to the appointment or up to 13 days in advance.
•    You must check-in 15 minutes prior to the scheduled visit.
•    Valid picture identification (e.g., driver's license, State I.D., or Military I.D. with picture) is required of all visitors, with the exception of children under the age of 17.  
•    Visitors under the age of 17 must be accompanied and supervised by an authorized adult visitor.
•    Visitors who 'arrive' after the scheduled start time may not be allowed to visit.
•    Clothing must cover all private/sensitive body areas.
•    The visitation schedule may be canceled or altered on holidays or for safety/security reasons.
•    WATCH East can disconnect, deny, change, or cancel a visit at any time.
•    Internet connectivity issues during offsite visits will NOT be refunded.
•    Each visitation session will show a timer to display elapsed time.
•    After your visit has ended your connection will be terminated automatically.

WATCH East uses IC Solutions for their inmate phone services.

In order to communicate with your inmate by telephone you must register with IC Solutions and choose a 'type' of account.

There are two different types of phone accounts you can fund:
1.    Prepaid Accounts - With a prepaid account the funds belong to you. You control whether the inmate uses the funds by either ‘accepting’ or ‘rejecting’ each call to you by your inmate.
2.    Debit Telephone Accounts – With a Debit telephone account, the funds are transferred directly to your inmate. Your inmate can call any phone number unless it is blocked by WATCH East.

How it works:
1.    First, you must register with IC Solutions:

• Register Online, or
• Register by Phone 888-506-8407 (available 24/7), or
• Register by Mail (see addresses and instructions below).

2.    Choose whether you are funding a Prepaid or a Debit account.
3.    Follow the prompts for choosing WATCH East for a Debit account, or choosing an ‘inmate’ for a Prepaid account.
4.    Make payment.

Prepaid Account - More Information
- One Prepaid account per inmate/phone number. 

• If you have more than one inmate, you must open a separate account for each.
• If you have two numbers (cell and home), you must open a separate account for each.

- Use Prepaid Accounts if you want to have the ability to leave voicemail messages for your inmate. 
- Prepaid Accounts can be funded to allow for Remote Video Visits if they are available at the facility.
- Collect calls are allowed, but only to your landline. You will see the IC Solutions portion of the bill on your land line phone bill.
- Cost – Prepaid Accounts are charged $0.21 per minute. Rates are subject to change.
- All phone calls are recorded.
- Refunds of unused funds will be refunded to you.

Debit Telephone Accounts – More Information
- Your Inmate controls the funds and can call any phone number not restricted by WATCH East.
- Cost – Debit Accounts are charged $0.21 per minute. Rates are subject to change.
- All phone calls are recorded.
- Refunds of unused funds are the property of your inmate.

Voicemail – More Information
- Voice mail messages cannot exceed 30 seconds in length.
- Voicemail messages can be left 24/7
- Your inmate will immediately be notified they have a message.
- WATCH East will provide you with its own Inmate Voicemail Number for this service.

IC Solutions Contact Information
Contact Information
Phone 888-506-8407 (available 24/7)
Online contact form

Mail-in Purchases
Please allow for a delay in the use of IC Solutions Phone services when using Mail-in purchases.

ICSolutions
Customer Service
2200 Danbury Street
San Antonio, TX 78217

When purchasing PREPAID phone services through a mail-in purchase, please be sure to include with your payment, your:

• name, 
• address, and 
• the designated telephone number you wish to receive calls from.

When purchasing DEBIT phone services through a mail-in purchase, (Western Union, cashier's check, or money order only) please be sure to include with your payment, your:

• Inmate’s name and Inmate number
• Inmate’s Facility
   

WATCH East Inmate Mail Guidelines

Postcards
The WATCH East allows inmates to receive pre-metered postcards like the type purchased from the post office. They may also allow certain photo postcards as long as they have not been tampered with or contain images that may be considered to be obscene or violent in nature. It is best to only use blue or black ink. Always include your name and return address.

Envelopes
The WATCH East also allows envelopes to be mailed to inmates. It is best to only use blue or black ink.

Postcards and envelopes MUST HAVE the sender's full name and return address on the envelope. 

Postcards and envelopes MUST be mailed to the following address:
PO Box 200113, Helena, MT
Helena, MT 59620

Legal Mail

Send all Legal Mail to this Address:
PO Box 200113, Helena, MT
Helena, MT 59620

Newspapers
Newspapers may also be mailed to an inmate as long as they are shipped directly from the publisher.

Magazines
News, special interest or sports magazines may also be mailed to an inmate as long as they are shipped directly from the publisher. Any magazines that contain profanity, weapons, pornography or other content that is adult in nature will be confiscated by the jail staff and will NOT be delivered to the inmate.

Books
The WATCH East allows books to be mailed directly to the jail from a reputable source such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Books-A-Million. You can order them directly from your computer and have them shipped to the inmate at the address noted.
Books must NOT contain images or content that are considered excessively violent, pornographic or obscene. Any book that does not meet the WATCH East standards will be disposed of. 
Hard cover books will not be accepted by the jail due to their potential to be used as a weapon.

You must be an approved visitor in order to send books to an inmate.

All newspapers, magazines and books are to be shipped to:
PO Box 200113, Helena, MT
Helena, MT 59620

Emailing and Texting Messages, Photos & Videograms

You must be an approved visitor in order to visit an inmate.  Apply here.

WATCH East contracts with GTL GettingOut, the same service that handles Inmate Phone Systems and Video Visitation, for sending secure messages and photos between you and your inmate.


If you are not already registered, do so here, or Log in.

Then use the Facility Finder to:
1.  Select WATCH East,
2. Add your inmate to your list of contacts,
3. Add a credit or debit card to cover your costs.

How Messaging Works
Watch this video on how to send a message.
1.  Messages can be up to 500 characters long, including punctuation. At the bottom of your message there is a 'character countdown' feature.  
2. After you click the “CONTINUE” button, you can review the cost to send your message to your inmate. You can also attach credits for your inmate to reply to your message.  Be sure to accept the Terms and Conditions and click the “SEND” button for your message to be successfully delivered to your inmate.

How Uploading Photos Works
Watch this video on how to upload a photo.
1.  Select the Photos Tab.
2. Select “Take New Photo” or “Upload New Photo”.
3. Take a new photo with your webcam, or select "Choose File" to upload a photo from your computer.
4. Give your photo a Title or add it to the "Gallery" of your choice.
5. Select the "Share" button.
6. Select your inmate(s) and then select "Share".
7. Once the photo is approved, it will be shared with your inmate(s).

Customer Service Questions
'Online' Contact Form, or
Call   866-516-0115

WATCH East allows inmates access to tablets to use for the services provided by 'gettingout'.

The devices are similar to common handheld tablets, but are made exclusively by GettingOut, a GTL / Viapath company.
Tablets offer specialized content and services for inmates to use during their stay at WATCH East, such as:

• Music
• Books
• Games
• Education
• News
• Radio
• Television
• Read mail and messages
• Video visits

-  Free services are already available for use on the device at WATCH East.
-  Subscription services are funded separately by family and friends with deposits made into an inmate’s Debit Link account.
-  WATCH East Inmates will then be able to purchase subscription services and premium content to enjoy.

What Does a Tablet Cost?

• Tablet devices include some services and the content is free.
• The subscription services require additional funding.
• There may be multiple options such as 7-day or 30-day subscriptions.
• Costs are dependent upon the available services and what the WATCH East charges.

To estimate costs for phone calls, sign in to your account and click “Rate & Fees Calculator” in the footer (bottom of the page) or call 866-516-0115 for assistance.

Once an inmate is convicted and sentenced for a violation of that state’s felony laws (and their sentence is more than one year in length), they are moved from the City or County Jail and sent to a State Prison in Montana. If the violation they are convicted of is a federal crime, they will be sent to a Federal Prison, but will not necessarily be doing their time in Montana.

Montana State Prisons are operated and maintained by the state government and are used to confine and rehabilitate criminals. State prisons are funded by state tax money. The fund is used to provide food and clothes to inmates and to hire employees to keep the prison running. Inmates in state prison enjoy certain privileges such as TV use and recreation, both indoor and outdoor. The number of privileges allowed depends on the security level of the prison, the inmate and the overall needs of the prison on a specific day.

Montana has minimum, medium and maximum security prisons. The Corrections Department in Montana also maintains low (or no) security residential settings and camps where inmates assist in state property maintenance and duties such as fighting fires. Almost all prisons provide ‘jobs’ where an inmate can earn a small hourly wage and even learn a trade. Some prisons even contract with call centers and handle phone calls on issues related to their state government. Criminals who have committed a violent crime or killed someone are likely housed in a maximum security prison. If the inmate in these prisons behave, they are also eligible to recreate and/or work as well.

In Montana Prisons rehabilitation is the stated goal but the reality is that they exist to punish inmates for their crimes and keep them from hurting or harming innocent people on the outside who follow the laws and live and act responsibly. The fact is that most prison systems are underfunded, overcrowded and are not able to spend time and money rehabilitating offenders. This is not the fault of the people hired to work in prisons, they are just victims of the lack of resources due to budgeting constraints.

State Inmate

Most states have Department of Corrections websites that allow you to type in a felon's first and last name and pull up inmates in that state.

If you need to find a sentenced inmate serving time in a state other than Montana, go here. To find an inmate in Montana, just scroll to the top of the page and click on the Inmate Search button.

Once you locate them click next to the inmate's name or on the link provided and it will show you which prison the inmate is housed in. If the inmate is no longer incarcerated, but is on parole/probation or discharged, it will tell you that as well. In addition, many state prison inmate pages show recent mug shots.

Federal Inmate

The federal prison system has its own inmate locator called the Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator.

Type in the inmate's name and it will tell you where he or she is incarcerated and their projected release date. It also lists released federal prison inmates and the date they were released.

Federal inmates who are moved from one prison to another will show as "No longer in federal custody" on the system until they reach their next federal prison destination. This movement can take a few days to several months to complete, so keep checking back to find out where the inmate was taken.

ICE Inmates

The ICE Detainee Lookup allows friends, family members and interested parties to locate illegal and/or undocumented immigrants that are in the United States without permission.

Has the Inmate been recently arrested?... Try a County Jail

In many cases, the person you are looking for has either not been convicted or sentenced or has been sentenced and is awaiting transport to a State or Federal Prison and is still incarcerated in a City or County Jail.

To locate that person, go here to first find the State, and then the County where they were originally arrested or have been transported to. From there you can begin your search in our databases that contain the names and information of millions of inmates.

Jailexchange.com has all information on every jail and prison in the United States.