GREAT FALLS — The booking area at the Cascade County Detention Center is getting its first major renovation in more than 30 years. The central booking space, where inmates are processed in and out every day, had been showing the strain of decades of heavy use. After months of construction, the sheriff’s office says its $1.06 million remodel is nearly complete, with upgrades aimed at improving safety and efficiency for both staff and inmates.
Aneesa Coomer reports - watch the video here:
Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter explains, “This area is where everything happens. Basically, all the action happens, inmates coming in, inmates leaving. So we had to make some modifications.”
At the Cascade County Commission meeting on September 25, commissioners approved an amendment to the project’s construction contract. According to county documents, the booking remodel project now costs $1,063,709.40, a 6.5% increase from the original $840,069 contract signed in January 2025.
The increase covers work including painting, ceiling grid, flooring, lights, and camera rough-in, which officials said was more cost-effective to complete now rather than have contractors return later. Slaughter emphasized that the project is funded entirely through federal ARPA dollars.
The remodel includes a raised booking platform, designed to give officers better control over interactions with inmates. Detention staff say it’s a significant safety improvement.
Corporal Brandi Monks at the Cascade County Detention Center says, “Sometimes when the inmates sign on our little keypads, they'll throw them at us and it comes right at our face. If our backs are turned and we go to grab something, they can reach over and grab our pens.”
The facility now also has three holding tanks instead of one, giving staff more flexibility to separate inmates by gender, security risk, or behavior. Slaughter explains, “You couldn't separate women from men, you have people who are a danger to other people, so the ability for us to safely separate people is far better.”
Other improvements include the addition of floor drains, which will make cleanup safer and more efficient. “If there was a water leak, or if there is any type of biological fluid that existed in here, obviously, our detention officers and inmates had to come in contact with hazardous bio-fluids. So that’s been a huge upgrade,” Slaughter said.
Security upgrades are also part of the remodel. Twenty-two new monitors provide full video coverage of the booking area, giving officers a clear view of every cell and corner of the facility. “This entire booking area is designed around keeping detention officers and inmates safe. That’s our priority,” Slaughter says.
The construction process required careful coordination, as staff still had to process inmates while work was ongoing, but staff says the upgrades are well worth it.
The sheriff’s office expects construction to wrap up within the next few weeks, providing a safer, more efficient booking area for one of the busiest parts of the jail.
Video from April 2025:
