Broadwater County Detention Center

Only a judge. Montana requires police to bring anyone they arrest before the closest judge "without unnecessary delay" (MCA 46-7-101). Release is decided at that very first hearing (MCA 46-9-109).

Most of those hearings take place in Justice Court. A single judge wears two hats here, justice of the peace and city judge, with chambers at 515 Broadway St., Townsend, MT 59644, beside the jail. You can reach the court clerk at 406-266-9231. The hearing can be face to face, or the judge can see them over a jail video link (MCA 46-9-206).

Felony cases later move up to District Court. Bail set in Justice Court rides along, and the district judge is free to raise it, lower it or replace it (MCA 46-9-201).

State law pushes the judge toward the lightest option that will still get your loved one to court (MCA 46-9-108). The main choices:

• Own recognizance. No money at all. They sign and give their word (MCA 46-9-111).
• Rules instead of money. Home, but with limits like staying sober, keeping a curfew, giving up guns or staying away from the person who called police.
• Cash bail. Someone pays the court every dollar, and the court holds it until the end.
• Agent's bond. A state-licensed agent vouches for the whole sum and charges a fee.
• Two sureties. Two people sign a paper saying they will cover the bail if your loved one disappears (MCA 46-9-401).
• Real estate. Montana land that has enough equity can stand in for money.
• Driver's license. Some traffic arrests let the officer keep the license as security.

For some charges the law favors GPS tracking on the ankle when a device is on hand. Examples are a second partner assault and felony stalking.

Justice and city courts can lean on a statewide Recommended Bond Schedule from the Montana Supreme Court. The 2026 version is a suggestion, and the judge can set any fair amount. Its figures already have state surcharges built in. Some sample lines:

• Driving a boat drunk, a common Canyon Ferry charge: $335
• Misdemeanor assault with bodily injury: $585, plus a required trip before the judge
• Supplying alcohol to someone under 21: $535, judge required
• Illegal gambling, second offense within 5 years: $750
• Felonies such as homicide or insurance fraud over $1,500: no figure at all, so the judge decides

Certain arrests skip the schedule completely. Anyone held for hurting or choking a partner or relative, for stalking, or for breaking a protection or no contact order waits in jail to see the judge (MCA 46-9-302). For the true number in your case, check the roster or phone the court clerk at 406-266-9231.

Pull up the Current Inmates list. Recent bookings come first, ten names per page. Next to each name you will find the booking number, when they were booked, each charge and the bond.

• A dollar figure is what the court set for that charge.
• Seeing $0.00 or "Bond amount unavailable"? Phone the jail and ask what that means in their case.
• Seeing "Federal Detainer" or "Probation Violation"? Local bail might not be enough. Read the holds answer on this page.

Jot down the booking number. Then ring 406-266-3441 to confirm the figure is current before you gather the money.

Montana lets a jailer or deputy accept bail on the judge's behalf when the figure comes from a posted schedule or appears on the warrant itself. You are owed a signed receipt (MCA 46-9-302). Phones are staffed all night, so check in before you make the drive:

1. Dial 406-266-3441. Have your loved one's legal name and birth date ready.
2. Find out the amount and the charge it belongs to.
3. Ask where the money is taken, what forms of payment work today, and whose name goes on a check or money order.
4. Ask whether the judge still has to see them. That applies to partner assault and protection order arrests.
5. Carry your driver's license or other picture ID and the exact sum. Hold on to your receipt.

The lobby window takes only glasses and medicine, so ask where bail is accepted. Office hours run 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekdays, which is the best time for paperwork questions.

Yes, for schedule bail. Montana's rules for justice and city courts allow payment at the court office during business hours on regular court days, and each court must hang its bail schedule there (Uniform Rules for the Justice and City Courts, Rule 17).

• Justice Court and Townsend City Court: 515 Broadway St., Townsend, MT 59644. Judge's office 406-266-9230, clerk 406-266-9231. Weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., shut over the lunch hour.
• Clerk of District Court (felony cases): 515 Broadway St., Townsend, MT 59644, 406-266-9213. Weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Phone ahead. Confirm the amount, the payment types the counter takes, and how quickly the jail learns you have paid.

The Justice Court's county web page sends people to CitePay to pay tickets online. CitePay asks for the citation number and a birth date, and it is built for tickets. To bail out someone who is locked up, phone the jail at 406-266-3441 and ask what kinds of payment staff accept.

Keep your money safe:

• Settle the question of checks or cards by phone before you leave.
• Don't send cash through the mail.
• Treat any caller who demands gift cards or a wire transfer as a scammer. Hang up, then call the jail on your own.

In Montana statutes, a bail agent goes by "surety bail bond insurance producer." The license is issued by the state's Commissioner of Securities and Insurance (MCA 33-17-1601). Agents must be adults, pass 16 hours of training and stay free of felony convictions.

• The agent charges a fee and in return guarantees the whole bail to the court. Plan on never seeing that fee again.
• Agents often hold a pickup title or another valuable item as collateral. State rules govern collateral, so get the terms for giving it back in writing (MCA 33-26-108).
• An agent's bond covers court appearances only, not fines or restitution (MCA 46-9-503).
• When someone skips court, their agent can track them down and arrest them, usually after a call to local police (MCA 46-6-508).
• Defense lawyers are barred from posting bail for clients (MCA 46-9-402).

Search the agent's name on the national license lookup before you sign anything.

Each bail frees a person from one case only. Watch for these:

• Federal detainer. This label shows up often on the roster. Local bail does nothing to a federal hold.
• Probation or parole trouble. The roster may say "Probation Violation." Ask the jail whether paying bail is enough.
• Another court's warrant. A 2025 law stops judges here from setting bail on a warrant from elsewhere (MCA 46-9-201). People brought back from another state first face the judge who issued the warrant (MCA 46-9-105).
• Held for a different county. The Townsend jail houses people for outside agencies, Meagher and Lewis and Clark counties among them. Bail for those cases comes from that county's court.
• Two or more cases. Every case carries its own bail.
• Immigration. The ICE answer later on this page explains it.

Call 406-266-3441 and ask staff to list every hold before money changes hands.

Rarely. Montana's Constitution promises bail to all except in a death penalty case where "the proof is evident or the presumption great" (Mont. Const. art. II, sec. 21). The same document outlaws bail set too high (Mont. Const. art. II, sec. 22).

A judge can still order someone held before trial if there is solid reason to fear that no conditions will keep them coming to court (MCA 46-9-106). Things that count include the crime, past convictions, any history of fleeing, threats to others and any current probation or parole. Judges may also look at a scored risk tool (MCA 46-9-109).

Requests for no bail or high bail come from the County Attorney's Office, 515 Broadway St., Townsend, MT 59644, 406-266-9226.

The defense and the prosecutor can each ask the judge to move bail up or down or to swap its rules (MCA 46-9-311). The side asking has to warn the other side ahead of time.

1. Have the defense attorney put the request in writing to the court handling the case.
2. Gather proof the person has work, a place to live and relatives nearby, plus an honest budget of what the family can raise. Bail may not be oppressive, and the court must weigh the person's finances (MCA 46-9-301).
3. Offer safeguards. The county is part of the state 24/7 Sobriety Program, where people blow into a breath tester twice daily.

To get on the Justice Court calendar, call 406-266-9231. The clerk who schedules District Court hearings answers at 406-266-9213.

Telling the person about their right to counsel is part of the judge's job at the first hearing (MCA 46-7-102). Montana's public defenders handle felonies, youth cases and misdemeanors that carry possible jail.

Help is open to households earning 133% of the poverty line or less, and to anyone for whom hiring a lawyer would cause serious hardship. A job, or the cash to post bail, cannot be the sole ground for a denial (MCA 47-1-111). Applicants swear to a financial statement, and the court has the final word. A small public defender fee can be ordered later.

• Nearest office: Office of State Public Defender, 139 N. Last Chance Gulch, Helena, MT 59601, 406-444-0104
• Apply through the public defender's website and upload current pay stubs and bank records

Local cases are heard in the county courthouse next to the jail. Its general number is 406-266-9200.

• Justice Court and Townsend City Court (misdemeanors, city charges, first felony steps): 515 Broadway St., Townsend, MT 59644, 406-266-9230.
• First Judicial District Court (felonies and Youth Court): Clerk of District Court, 515 Broadway St., Townsend, MT 59644, 406-266-9213. The district is shared with Lewis and Clark County, and four district judges serve it.
• Federal court (U.S. charges): Paul G. Hatfield Federal Courthouse, 901 Front Street, Helena, MT 59626, 406-441-1355.

Cash bail goes back once the case closes and every hearing was attended (MCA 46-9-502). Refunds go only to whoever made the deposit, so save that receipt and bring identification.

Skipping court lets the judge order the bail forfeited. Notice has to reach the defendant and any surety by mail within 10 working days. A late notice cancels the bond (MCA 46-9-503).

• The defendant then has 90 days to come back or explain, and the judge may undo the forfeiture.
• Forfeited misdemeanor cash stays with the city or county where it was paid. Felony cash goes to the state (MCA 46-9-511).
• Judges can hand forfeited bail to a crime victim (MCA 46-9-512).
• If the defendant is convicted, an agent's bond is released within 30 days (MCA 46-9-121).

Refund questions go to whichever court took the money. For Justice Court, that is the clerk at 406-266-9231.

Before your loved one walks out, sort out their personal items and any balance on their jail account. Phone 406-266-3441 on a weekday between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Ask how leftover funds are refunded and when things can be collected.

Carry identification. Collecting for someone else? Ask if staff need a signed okay from them. Our money guide explains how jail account deposits and balances generally work.

U.S. charges from this area go to the Helena Division of the federal district court, which also takes cases from Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, Meagher and Powell counties. The clerk sits in the Paul G. Hatfield Federal Courthouse, 901 Front Street, Helena, MT 59626, 406-441-1355, open weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

• Release or detention gets argued at the first federal appearance. The defense can delay it up to 5 days, the government up to 3 (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• Background reports for the judge come from Probation and Pretrial Services, 901 Front Street, Suite 1200, Helena, MT 59626, 406-441-1160.
• Federal defendants waiting for trial are in U.S. Marshals custody. Call 406-200-6004 to learn where.
• Many names on the Townsend roster carry a federal detainer.

Filings can be read on PACER for a per-page fee. Once someone is sent to federal prison, look them up with the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

No, state bail and an immigration hold are separate. Expect these steps:

1. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) delivers Form I-247A, called a detainer, to the jail.
2. That lets the jail hold your loved one for up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. State law tells officers to follow the detainer and explain it to the person. Solid proof of U.S. citizenship or legal status means they must be freed (MCA 27-16-801).
4. Agents then collect the person. Montana belongs to ICE's Salt Lake City Field Office, 2975 Decker Lake Drive, Suite 100, West Valley City, UT 84119, 801-736-1200.
5. Track them on the ICE Online Detainee Locator. You need the A-number, or their name exactly as ICE has it plus their birth country.

People sentenced on a felony to state custody belong to the Montana Department of Corrections. Most stay in the Townsend jail until state staff screen them and pick a placement. The spot they land in might be Montana State Prison, a prerelease house or a program for addiction treatment.

• Look them up on the state offender search with a name or state ID.
• Each prison is described in our Montana state prisons guide.
• Release on parole is up to the Board of Pardons and Parole, 1002 Hollenbeck Road, Deer Lodge, MT 59722, 406-846-1404.

Montana counts anyone younger than 18 as a youth, and their cases usually belong to Youth Court, which runs inside District Court (MCA 41-5-203). Adult jails may keep a youth only a few hours for booking, and never overnight. Rural counties get one more option. A youth waiting for a hearing can stay up to 24 hours, weekends and holidays left out, but only in a space fully cut off from adults by sight and sound (MCA 41-5-349).

• Detained youths are owed a hearing inside 24 hours, again leaving out weekends and holidays (MCA 41-5-332).
• Bail is possible for a youth, and the judge has to factor in what the parents can afford (MCA 41-5-323).
• For a teen's location, phone the Clerk of District Court at 406-266-9213 or the Sheriff's Office at 406-266-3441.

The possible punishment decides where a case lands:

• Justice Court is the county's misdemeanor court. Traffic crimes, shoplifting, game violations and the like all start here. Its own power reaches charges worth up to 6 months behind bars or a $500 fine, and it splits bigger misdemeanors with District Court (MCA 3-10-303).
• City court rules on breaks of town ordinances and may also take misdemeanors that happen inside town (MCA 3-11-103).
• District Court owns every felony. Montana calls a crime a felony when it can put someone in state prison for over one year (MCA 45-2-101).
• Youth Court is a branch of District Court for anyone not yet 18.

Even a felony usually opens with a brief Justice Court hearing, where bail gets set, before the file is sent up.

All the local courts share the county courthouse. The general courthouse line is 406-266-9200.

• Justice Court and Townsend City Court, 515 Broadway St., Townsend, MT 59644. The judge's office is 406-266-9230, and the clerk is 406-266-9231. Open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., but closed over the noon hour and on federal holidays.
• Clerk of District Court, First Judicial District, 515 Broadway St., Townsend, MT 59644, 406-266-9213. Open weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Not sure which court has the case? Ask the main line, and have the person's full name handy.

Townsend is the only incorporated town in the county, and its city court shares a judge, an office and a phone line with the Justice Court. The city has no police force of its own. It pays the Sheriff's Office to patrol, so deputies make the arrests inside town too.

• Since a 2023 city resolution, the County Attorney prosecutes criminal cases from the city. The city's own attorney handles civil matters.
• City ordinances can be read in the online city code.
• City Hall is at 110 Broadway, Townsend, MT 59644, 406-266-3911, for questions about city rules, not court cases.

Arrests in Toston, Winston, Radersburg, Wheatland and the rest of the county go to the Justice Court.

Montana has 22 judicial districts. The First covers just two counties: this one and Lewis and Clark County, home of Helena. Four district judges serve the district, along with a standing master who helps with some hearings.

The district judge handles felonies, Youth Court and appeals from the Justice Court. Felony files for local cases are kept by the Clerk of District Court in Townsend. To learn when and where the judge will hear a local case, call the clerk at 406-266-9213.

The state court locator lists the district's offices and judges.

Police must bring an arrested person to a judge "without unnecessary delay" (MCA 46-7-101). In this county, that is normally the Justice Court judge, either face to face or on the jail's video hookup. State law gives the judge a checklist to cover out loud (MCA 46-7-102):

• what crimes are alleged
• that the person may have a lawyer, and one will be appointed if money is short
• how pretrial release works
• that silence is allowed, and statements can be quoted at trial
• that a guilty finding can take away firearm rights
• when the charge is a felony complaint, that a judge can be asked to test the evidence for probable cause

Bail or release is decided at this same hearing (MCA 46-9-109).

Misdemeanor complaints, whether from the county or from inside the city, are filed by the County Attorney in Justice Court. Next comes the plea. Someone who denies the charge gets a trial on the calendar, and six jurors can be requested by the defense or the state (MCA 46-17-201).

The clock matters. A misdemeanor not tried within 6 months of the plea must be dismissed, except when the defendant caused the delay or the court finds good cause (MCA 46-13-401). Common sentences:

• A first drunk driving conviction: from one full day up to half a year locked up, and $600 to $1,000 (MCA 61-8-1007)
• Stealing $1,500 or less: a fine capped at $1,500, a jail term capped at 6 months, or both (MCA 45-6-301)
• Assaulting a partner or relative the first time: one day to one year, with a $100 to $1,000 fine (MCA 45-5-206)
• Any misdemeanor whose law sets no penalty: as much as 6 months and $500 (MCA 46-18-212)

A deferred sentence of up to one year is possible. Following every rule can lead to the charge being wiped away (MCA 46-18-204). Appeals to District Court have to be filed within 10 days after judgment (MCA 46-17-311).

Most felony cases pass through five stops:

1. Initial hearing. Justice Court sets bail.
2. Charging. The Justice Court judge can test the evidence at a preliminary exam (MCA 46-10-105). The other route is for the County Attorney to get the district judge's permission to file an information, which is the felony version of a complaint (MCA 46-11-201). Grand juries are called only at a district judge's order.
3. Arraignment. In District Court, the defendant receives the charging paper and answers it (MCA 46-12-201).
4. Trial. Twelve jurors, and the verdict has to be unanimous. Both sides may agree in writing to let the judge decide instead (MCA 46-16-110).
5. Sentence. This follows a guilty plea or verdict.

Where a statute names no other penalty, the top felony sentence is 10 years and $50,000 (MCA 46-18-213). Stealing over $1,500 can bring 10 years. Possessing dangerous drugs can bring 5, though a first conviction is presumed to earn a deferred sentence (MCA 45-9-102).

Crimes that hurt or threaten people bring tighter rules:

• Holding before trial. Bail can be denied outright only in death penalty cases. A judge may still hold someone when no conditions would keep others safe (MCA 46-9-106).
• Partner or family assault. Arrest is the preferred response when someone was hurt, a weapon was used or an order was broken (MCA 46-6-311). The accused stays in jail until a judge sees them. A third conviction turns into a felony that can carry 5 years (MCA 45-5-206).
• No contact order. A standing order can keep the accused up to 1,500 feet away for 72 hours or until the first hearing (MCA 45-5-209).
• Tracking. Judges lean toward electronic monitoring in felony stalking and felony partner assault, where a device is on hand (MCA 46-9-108).
• No deferral for repeat felons. A person with a past felony can't get a deferred felony sentence (MCA 46-18-201).

The County Attorney's Office charges every felony and the county's misdemeanors, plus criminal cases from the city. It is at 515 Broadway St., Townsend, MT 59644, 406-266-9226.

Defendants short on money may ask for a state public defender. That office represents people facing felonies, youth charges and misdemeanors with possible jail. The nearest branch is at 139 N. Last Chance Gulch, Helena, MT 59601, 406-444-0104. When that branch has a conflict, the work may shift to the Conflict Defender office at 555 Fuller Ave, Helena, MT 59601, 406-604-7581.

Applications go through the AdvOPD website. A judge reviews each person's finances and approves or denies the appointment (MCA 47-1-111).

The state judiciary runs two free websites for case records. Type in a name or a case number:

• The limited court portal covers Justice Court and city court files.
• The District Court portal covers felony files.

Files about minors, plus sealed files, stay hidden. When a search comes up empty, use the phone. The Justice Court clerk at 406-266-9231 handles misdemeanor dates. The Clerk of District Court at 406-266-9213 handles felony dates. Spell the full name and give the birth date so the right file is pulled.

The Sheriff's warrants page tells anyone who suspects a warrant to phone the District, Justice or City court at 406-266-9200. Deputies also keep a Most Wanted list. Because Townsend relies on the Sheriff for policing, those county pages serve the city as well. Statewide, the Montana offender search marks people wanted after running from parole, probation or prison. Open cases appear on the court portals. Got a warrant? Call a defense lawyer before anything else. Then walk into the jail at 519 Broadway St., Townsend, MT 59644, or ask the issuing court to reset the date. The jail answers at 406-266-3441.

U.S. crimes from the county are heard by the Helena Division of the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana. The court meets at the Paul G. Hatfield Federal Courthouse, 901 Front Street, Helena, MT 59626, 406-441-1355. Call before you go, and plan on weekday clerk hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

• A detention hearing is held at the first appearance, and the judge rules on release before trial (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• The U.S. Marshals Service keeps federal prisoners and drives them to court. Its Helena office is at 901 Front Street, Suite 2200, Helena, MT 59626, and the district line is 406-200-6004.
• Pretrial reports are written by U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services, 901 Front Street, Suite 1200, Helena, MT 59626, 406-441-1160.
• The Townsend roster often shows people held on a federal detainer.
• Federal filings sit on PACER. Once a prison term begins, the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator shows the place.

A detainer does not stop the state case, but it changes the day of release. Through Form I-247A, immigration officers request that the jail hang on to the person for up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released, giving agents time to arrive (8 CFR 287.7(d)).

1. State law tells a Montana officer holding a detainer to arrest on it and tell the person the reason (MCA 27-16-801).
2. Credible papers proving citizenship or legal immigration status end that duty.
3. A 2025 change lets an officer who has stopped someone lawfully make a reasonable effort to learn whether they are here legally (MCA 46-5-401).
4. After pickup, ICE's Salt Lake City Field Office takes over: 2975 Decker Lake Drive, Suite 100, West Valley City, UT 84119, 801-736-1200.
5. Look the person up on the ICE Online Detainee Locator.

Felons sentenced to the state come under the Montana Department of Corrections. Before moving on, they normally spend time in the local jail while the state evaluates them. The state then chooses Montana State Prison, the women's prison, a prerelease house, a treatment program or another placement.

• See where they are on the state offender search.
• The department's central office is at 5 S Last Chance Gulch Street, Helena, MT 59620, 406-444-3930.
• The parole board, formally the Board of Pardons and Parole, sits at 1002 Hollenbeck Road, Deer Lodge, MT 59722, 406-846-1404.
• Our Montana state prisons guide covers each facility.

A district judge, acting as the Youth Court judge, hears charges against anyone younger than 18 (MCA 41-5-203). The public court websites leave youth files out.

• A locked-up teen must see a judge about probable cause within 24 hours, and Saturdays, Sundays and holidays are skipped (MCA 41-5-332).
• For certain grave crimes, prosecutors may seek leave to try a youth of 12 or older as an adult (MCA 41-5-206).
• Nobody younger than 16 can be placed in a state prison.
• Youths committed to the state may go to Pine Hills Correctional Facility, 4 North Haynes Avenue, Miles City, MT 59301, 406-232-1377.

Parents can call the Clerk of District Court at 406-266-9213 to ask about the hearing, or the Sheriff's Office at 406-266-3441 to ask where the youth is held.

The county's Victim/Witness Advocate works out of the courthouse at 515 Broadway St., Townsend, MT 59644, 406-266-9237. The advocate can explain victim rights, go with you to court, tell you about case events, and help with safety plans, restitution and protective orders.

• Before a plea bargain, a dismissal or a pretrial release, the prosecutor has to consult the victim. This covers felonies and any misdemeanor with an injury or a threat (MCA 46-24-104).
• Release alerts for state felony offenders come through VINE at 800-456-3076 or on VINELink. Signing up is up to you.
• Montana's victim compensation program covers up to $25,000 of crime-related bills. The crime should be reported within 72 hours and the claim filed within one year. Call 800-498-6455.