Court Services and Diversion

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The Court Services team is comprised of five POST-certified Public Safety Officers. One Officer serves as Division Supervisor, another specializes in Misdemeanor Probation services, and all five manage caseloads of individuals assigned to Pretrial Services. The Division is further supported by a dedicated Diversion Coordinator and a Court Services Assistant. The largest program within Court Services is the Pretrial Services Program, where each Officer manages a caseload of approximately 100 defendants. Court Services also provides specialty court supervision and administers the PASS Behavioral Health Misdemeanor Probation Program. In addition, staff are actively researching, coordinating, and developing multiple jail diversion initiatives, with plans for implementation in the coming months.

Court Services and Diversion Team 

Learn more about Court Services & Programs:

Bond Review Round Table

The Bond Review Roundtable is a new initiative of the Lewis and Clark County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC), developed by the Jail Population Task Force in early 2025 and approved for implementation in July 2025.

The Roundtable brings together key partners from across the criminal justice system each month to review the cases of individuals being held in the Lewis and Clark County Detention Center on cash bonds they cannot afford to pay. Participants look closely at each person’s bond amount, criminal history, behavior while incarcerated, and other relevant information.

For individuals who may safely await trial in the community, the Roundtable makes a recommendation to the presiding judge for potential release to Pretrial Services.

This collaborative effort helps ensure that no one remains in jail simply because they can’t afford bond, and that decisions about pretrial release are based on risk, not resources. By reducing wealth-based detention, the Roundtable promotes fairness, protects employment and housing stability, and helps families stay connected while cases move through the courts.

Roundtable members include a District Court Judge, Justice of the Peace, Public Defender, County Attorney, City Attorney, Detention Center staff, Pretrial Services staff, and other key justice partners. The group will hold its first official meeting in October 2025.

 

Meaningful First Appearances

Everyone deserves to have their rights protected and their circumstances understood from the very start of a court case. That’s the goal behind Meaningful First Appearances, an initiative launched by Municipal Court Judge Anne Peterson in partnership with the City Attorney and the Office of the Public Defender (OPD).

Implemented in Municipal Court in November 2024 and expanded to Justice Court in January 2025, the program ensures that individuals newly booked into the Lewis and Clark County Detention Center have an opportunity to meet with a defense attorney before their first appearance in court.

During this meeting, OPD counsel reviews important information—such as a person’s Public Safety Assessment (PSA) score, criminal history, employment, and housing situation—and can share this context with the presiding Judge. Having this information early helps the court make fair, informed, and individualized decisions about release conditions.

Prosecutors are also encouraged to participate in these hearings to provide their input, ensuring that every case begins with a balanced, well-informed perspective.

By making first appearances truly meaningful, this collaborative approach promotes fairness, efficiency, and better outcomes for individuals and the community.

 

Post-Adjudication Supervision Services (PASS)

Judge Anne Peterson introduced the Post-Adjudication Supervision Services (PASS) program in 2019. The program provides supportive supervision to individuals with behavioral health disorders who have been found guilty of their misdemeanor charge(s). Our PASS officer verifies the client’s participation in behavioral health services and communicates completed check-ins to the court. The Courts can apply PASS check-ins as monetary credit toward fines and fees. PASS Officer Jenn Norris, continuously reviews client needs for housing, transportation, access to food, health care, and goal setting.

PASS Officer:  Officer Jenn Norris, 406.457.8842

 

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Pretrial Services

Across the country, communities are turning to pretrial service programs to safely reduce jail populations—and Lewis and Clark County is no exception. Here, defendants spend an average of eleven months in detention before trial. By supervising eligible individuals in the community instead of jail, we save taxpayers approximately $120 per day, per person, while improving court appearance rates and enhancing public safety. Most importantly, pretrial services give people the opportunity to remain active members of the community—staying connected to their families, keeping their jobs, paying taxes, maintaining housing, and successfully navigating the justice system.

Our program uses the Arnold Ventures Public Safety Assessment (PSA) to help determine the likelihood that a defendant will appear in court and avoid new charges while awaiting trial. Judges consider PSA results alongside their own discretion when deciding whether to release an individual under pretrial supervision.

Lewis and Clark County Pretrial Services operates in full compliance with Montana law and meets the statutory definition of a pretrial services agency (46-9-505(5), MCA). All Pretrial Officers are POST-certified in both pretrial supervision and misdemeanor probation (46-23-1003(2), MCA; 46-23-1005(2), MCA).

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Pretrial Forms

 

Safety & Services Integration Program (SSIP)

In partnership with local law enforcement and community organizations Lewis & Clark County’s Safety & Services Integration Program (SSIP) is a community-based initiative being developed by the Department of Criminal Justice Services (CJS) to improve safety and strengthen community well-being.

SSIP is designed to help people who come into frequent contact with police, emergency services, or the justice system by connecting them with the support they need—rather than sending them to jail. The program is a partnership between Helena Police Department, Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office, Helena Municipal Court, the City Attorney’s Office, and local social service providers.

Program Goals

  1. Divert individuals from jail by connecting them to services that address the root causes of their behavior.
  2. Support law enforcement and community leaders in finding new, more effective ways to respond to issues involving crime, safety, and health.
  3. Build trust and strengthen connections between law enforcement, service providers, and the community.
  4. Promote sustainable funding and collaboration by reinvesting justice system savings into long-term community solutions.

How SSIP Works

Once fully implemented, SSIP will include a Program Coordinator and three Community Resource Liaisons (CRLs) who will work alongside local law enforcement. Together, they will respond to certain calls for service and connect people directly to help.

A successful diversion will include:

  1. A CRL responding with law enforcement and identifying someone eligible for the program.
  2. A “warm handoff” between law enforcement and the CRL to ensure smooth support and follow-up.
  3. The individual’s enrollment in SSIP once eligibility is confirmed.
  4. The CRL connecting the person to short- and long-term services, such as treatment, housing, or case management.

Community Collaboration

SSIP depends on teamwork. Law enforcement, social service providers, and community members will work together to make the program effective and sustainable. Success will rely on quick and coordinated connections to services, consistent follow-up, and open communication.

SSIP staff will play a key role in building relationships, listening to community needs, and strengthening—rather than duplicating—existing services.

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