Great Falls Transition Center Community Programs
May of 2025, the Great Falls Transition Center for the first time offered programming to community clients who are involved in the criminal justice system, either by being sentenced for a misdemeanor and or felony charge. The Center saw the need for affordable programming for community clients and started working with their community partners such as the Great Falls City Court, Cascade County Justice Court, Federal Probation and State Probation and Parole. The Center identified the below three program that were in need for community clients. These groups are offered in the evening hours so that the client’s employment is not interrupted during the day, the Treatment Specialist that facilitates these groups maintains contact with the referring agency ensuring full compliance of a court order.
The Great Falls Transition Center’s programs are all Evidence Based Programming, meaning research has been done to determine the effectiveness of programs, rather than relying on intuition or anecdotal evidence. The Center is currently using all Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT) based programming. MRT has over 200 outcome studies of 100,000+ individuals have been published on MRT showing that MRT TX leads to:
- Reduced Criminal Justice Involvement up to 65% lower.
- Improves program completion; medication and treatment adherence.
- Decrease hospitalizations and substance abuse usage.
- Improves psychiatric symptoms and functioning.
- Increases stability of housing and job retention.
- Enhances Life Purpose.
- Raises an individual’s motivation.
****Source: Correctional Counseling Inc. (CCI)
MRT-How to Escape Your Prison is a 24-36-week open-ended program that targets adults involved in the criminal justice system and/or have mental health and substance use disorders comorbid conditions. Clients complete workbook homework prior to coming to each session. In the group, residents present their homework, and the facilitator passes the client to the next step or has the client re-do the homework based on objective criteria.
MRT-Domestic Violence Bringing Peace to Relationships the MRT model is a cognitive-behavioral program designed to change how perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence think (belief systems) therefore leading to changing their behaviors from any types of abuse where it is physical, emotional or financial to behaviors which include equality and acceptance. This program is open-ended and can be completed in 26 or 52 sessions.
Victim Impact Program educates clients on the effects of crime on victims, families and the community. The course emphasizes both short- and long-term consequences of the client’s criminal act or acts and includes a wide range of crimes beginning with property crimes and ending with crimes against persons including the aftermath of homicide. One of the salient features of this program is the use of speakers in a Victim Impact Panel format. Crime victims effectively address clients in group and community settings which serve to foster empathy for the resident and a sense of healing for the speaker as their contribution may help prevent future crime.
****Victim Impact Program is not evidence based and was designed by the Department of Justice and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. This program is approved and used by the Montana Department of Corrections.
Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment (ODARA) is a procedure to identify the risk of future assaults against intimate partner(s). This assessment tool was developed by the Ontario Provincial Police and the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. The ODARA is currently used with in the Montana Department of Corrections.