Cascade County Detention Facility

Bail is set by a judge, not by the jail. After any arrest, the person has a right to see the nearest available judge "without unnecessary delay" (MCA 46-7-101). At that first hearing, the judge decides on the spot whether the person can leave and under what terms (MCA 46-9-109). It can happen in a courtroom or on a live video screen from the jail (MCA 46-9-206).

The judge you deal with depends on the arrest:

• Justice Court hears misdemeanor and traffic cases written by deputies, the Highway Patrol, state transportation officers and game wardens. This court can also hold the first hearing on a felony. It meets in the courthouse at 415 2nd Avenue North, Great Falls, MT 59401, 406-604-7787.
• Municipal Court takes cases brought by city police within the city.
• The Belt and Cascade town courts hear cases under each town's own laws.

If the felony is bound over to District Court, bail carries over with it. The district judge can still raise it, cut it or replace it (MCA 46-9-201).

Judges here must choose the least strict condition that will still bring the person back to court (MCA 46-9-108). The options are:

• Personal recognizance. The person signs a pledge to return and pays nothing (MCA 46-9-111).
• Conditions only. They go home under rules: a curfew, a ban on alcohol or guns, or keeping clear of the person they are accused of hurting.
• Cash. You hand the court the full sum. It comes back when the case is over, if every rule was followed.
• Commercial surety bond. A licensed agent guarantees the full sum, and you pay the agent a charge.
• Real estate. Property in Montana that is mostly paid off may be pledged instead (MCA 46-9-401).
• Two personal sureties. Two qualified people sign a written promise with the defendant.
• Driver's license. Certain traffic offenders can hand over their license instead of cash.

Certain charges carry an ankle monitor if one is available. Examples are a repeat partner assault, choking a partner and felony stalking. The county also takes part in the state's 24/7 sobriety program, so a judge may order twice-a-day breath tests in some alcohol or drug cases.

Judges can look to a Recommended Bond Schedule, a statewide list issued by the Montana Supreme Court. It covers the state's justice, city and municipal courts. The 2026 list is advice only. A judge can go higher or lower, and each figure already includes state surcharges. A few amounts from it:

• Simple assault that causes bodily injury: $585, and a court appearance is required
• Furnishing alcohol to a person younger than 21: $535, appearance required
• Illegal gambling, if it is the second charge in 5 years: $750
• Insurance fraud worth $1,500 or less: $285, appearance required
• Deliberate homicide and other felonies: no set figure, so the judge chooses

No schedule amount applies to assault on a partner or relative, choking a partner or relative, stalking, or breaking a protection order or a no-contact order. Each of those requires a judge first (MCA 46-9-302). To learn the figure set in an actual case, phone the court handling it. Justice Court's second line is 406-604-7788.

Bail at the jail is handled at the Sheriff's building, 3800 Ulm North Frontage Road, Great Falls, MT 59404. State law lets a detention officer take bail for the judge when the figure appears on a posted bail schedule or on the warrant itself. You should get a signed receipt in return (MCA 46-9-302). Go in this order:

1. Phone 406-454-6820 and ask for detention.
2. Give the full name and birth date. Ask how much bail is set and which charge each amount is for.
3. Find out which payments are accepted right now, and who a money order should be payable to.
4. Check whether the charge needs a judge's review before release, as partner assault charges do.
5. Ask about any hold from another court or agency.
6. Carry ID with a photo and the precise sum, and save the receipt.

The Sheriff's records counter keeps weekday hours, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., closed on holidays. Call first if you plan to come at night or on a weekend.

No. The court's fine payment page says in capital letters that bail is not approved for online payment. Its web link is for eligible fines only, so plan to post city bail in person.

When the city judge orders a bond, the court's own answers list two ways to post it:

• A surety bond bought from a bail bondsman.
• A cashier's check, money order or cash left with the court. A cash bond needs a valid ID. Personal checks are turned away.

You will find the payment window one floor up in the Civic Center, 2 Park Drive South, Great Falls, MT 59401. It is open weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to noon and again from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Call 406-771-1380 before you head over.

A person jailed over unpaid Municipal Court fines must post a cash bond to get out. That money goes toward the balance they owe, so it does not come back as a refund. The court says the bond can be paid at either the Detention Facility or the court window at the Civic Center.

Before you pay, call the court at 406-771-1380 to learn the amount. You can also ask the jail at 406-454-6820 which forms of payment it accepts.

Montana's rules for these local courts allow schedule bail to be paid at the clerk's window whenever the court is open for business. The rules also require each court to display its bail schedule in the office. The windows are:

• Justice Court, 415 2nd Avenue North, Great Falls, MT 59401, 406-604-7787, weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Clerk of District Court, which keeps felony files at that courthouse, 406-604-7796, weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Call first to ask whether it can take the bail.
• Municipal Court, 2 Park Drive South, Great Falls, MT 59401, 406-771-1380.
• Belt City Court, P.O. Box 453, Belt, MT 59412, 406-277-3621.
• Cascade City Court, 9 Front Street North, Cascade, MT 59421, 406-468-2808.

Phone either town court to find out when a clerk will be in. At any window, ask the amount, the payment types and how soon the jail will release the person after payment.

Your best bets are a money order, a cashier's check or cash. Ask before you bring anything else. Here is what official pages say:

• Municipal Court will not take a personal check for a bond. For fines, a bounced check adds a $30 fee, and after that the court wants cash only.
• Justice Court lets people pay traffic tickets online through CitePayUSA. The vendor adds a 5% fee, and the service is for new citations, not old balances.
• Municipal Court fines can be paid on its online fine page with a citation or case number and a birth date. Not every fine is eligible.

Those ticket sites are for fines. Before leaving home, ask jail staff at 406-454-6820 what they accept for bail. Never mail cash.

Montana's legal term for a bail agent is "surety bail bond insurance producer." Their licenses are issued by Montana's Commissioner of Securities and Insurance (MCA 33-17-1601). Keep these points in mind:

• The agent's fee is not refunded. In return, the agent promises the court the whole bail.
• Agents often ask for security, such as a vehicle title or a property deed. Ask for the return terms on paper.
• The bond only promises the person will show up in court. It can't cover fines or restitution (MCA 46-9-503).
• If the person skips court, the agent may arrest them and hand them over. Outside an emergency, the agent must call local police first (MCA 46-6-508).
• Look up the agent's license on the NAIC licensee search before you sign.

Each bail covers only its own case. Any of these can keep a person inside:

• Another court's warrant. Since 2025, a judge here may not set bail for someone held on a warrant from somewhere else (MCA 46-9-201).
• Extradition. Someone sent back from another state has to face the judge who issued the warrant before any bail (MCA 46-9-105).
• Probation or parole. Being under supervision is one factor the judge weighs (MCA 46-9-109). The state's regional office is at 219 5th Street South, Suite A, Great Falls, MT 59405, 406-727-6061.
• More than one case. Charges in city court and county court are bailed separately.
• A federal or immigration hold. The jail houses people for the U.S. Marshals Service, ICE and Customs and Border Protection. State bail does not end those holds.

Before any money changes hands, ask the jail at 406-454-6820 to check for every hold.

The Montana Constitution grants bail in every case except one where death is a possible sentence and "the proof is evident or the presumption great" (Mont. Const. art. II, sec. 21). It also forbids excessive bail (Mont. Const. art. II, sec. 22).

Even so, detention until trial is allowed if there is probable cause that no workable set of conditions will secure the person's return (MCA 46-9-106). The judge looks at the crime charged, the person's record and any past missed court dates, the danger to others, local ties, and any probation or parole status. Some judges also use a scored pretrial risk tool (MCA 46-9-109).

Requests for high bail, or for holding someone with no release, come from the County Attorney's Office, 121 4th Street North, Suite 2A, Great Falls, MT 59401, 406-454-6915.

Either side may ask the court to raise, lower or swap the bail, or to change its rules. Fair notice must go to the other side first (MCA 46-9-311). Families can help in these ways:

1. Work with the defense attorney, who files the motion in the court handling the case.
2. Collect proof of a job, a local home, family in the area, and the amount your family can truly afford. Bail must not be oppressive, and the judge must weigh the person's money, health and work (MCA 46-9-301).
3. Offer rules that answer the judge's worry, such as daily breath tests through the 24/7 program.

For a Justice Court case, call 406-604-7787 to learn how a motion is set for hearing. For a felony, reach the Clerk of District Court at 406-604-7796.

A lawyer comes up early. At the first hearing, the person learns they can have one and how to get one assigned (MCA 46-7-102). Montana's Office of State Public Defender takes felonies, misdemeanors that could bring jail time, and youth cases.

A person qualifies if their household earns no more than 133% of the poverty level, or if paying for private counsel would cause substantial hardship. A denial can't rest only on the fact that they can post bail or have a job (MCA 47-1-111). They sign a sworn money form, and the court reviews the result.

• Public defender office: 615 2nd Avenue North, Great Falls, MT 59403, 406-770-3200
• Conflict defender office, for cases the main office can't take: 600 Central Avenue, Suite 327, Great Falls, MT 59401, 406-604-7581
• Apply online: advopd.mt.gov

Most criminal courts sit in two Great Falls buildings. Hours are weekdays unless noted.

• Eighth Judicial District Court (felonies and youth cases), county courthouse, 415 2nd Avenue North, Great Falls, MT 59401. The clerk is at 406-604-7796. Four district judges and a standing master serve this district, which covers only this county.
• Justice Court (county misdemeanors and early felony hearings), same courthouse, 406-604-7787.
• Municipal Court (city cases), Civic Center, 2 Park Drive South, Great Falls, MT 59401, 406-771-1380. Open court runs Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Check in from 10:00 to 10:30 a.m., and court starts at 10:30 a.m.
• Town courts: Belt City Court, P.O. Box 453, Belt, MT 59412, 406-277-3621, and Cascade City Court, 9 Front Street North, Cascade, MT 59421, 406-468-2808.
• Federal court, Missouri River Federal Courthouse, 125 Central Avenue West, Suite 110, Great Falls, MT 59404, 406-727-1922.

When the case wraps up and the person made every hearing, the cash goes back to the one who posted it (MCA 46-9-502). Under the rules for justice and city courts, refund checks are issued only to whoever made the deposit, so keep the receipt safe.

Municipal Court mails cash bond refunds two to four weeks after the judge sends back the order. A surety bond is between the defendant and the bond company, so the court refunds nothing on it.

A missed court date can cost the bail. The judge may forfeit it, but if the court fails to mail notice within 10 working days, the bond is void (MCA 46-9-503).

• Within 90 days, a surety can surrender the person, or the person can show up with a good reason. The judge then lifts the forfeiture.
• Forfeited misdemeanor cash is kept by the city or county treasury. For a felony, the money is sent to the state's general fund (MCA 46-9-511).
• Forfeited bail may also be ordered paid to a crime victim as restitution (MCA 46-9-512).

Ask the court that took your money about a refund, such as Justice Court at 406-604-7787.

Before release, ask about the person's cash and things. Phone the jail at 406-454-6820 to learn when items can be collected and how any money left on their account is paid out. Bring photo ID. Collecting for a friend or relative? Ask if the jail wants a note signed by them.

Items taken as evidence are handled another way. The County Attorney's Office uses a Property Release Form for them. Fill in as much as you can and send it back to that office, 406-454-6915. Our page on inmate account money explains deposits and refunds.

A federal arrest here lands in the Great Falls Division of the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana. Its home is the Missouri River Federal Courthouse, 125 Central Avenue West, Suite 110, Great Falls, MT 59404. The clerk's office answers 406-727-1922 on weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

• At the first federal appearance, a judge decides if the person will be detained or released before trial. The hearing can be pushed back only a few days (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• The Detention Facility holds people for the U.S. Marshals Service, which keeps federal defendants in custody. Call the Marshals' district office at 406-200-6004 to ask where someone is held.
• U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services, which writes release reports for the judge, is at 125 Central Avenue West, Great Falls, MT 59404, 406-453-4461.
• After a prison sentence, search the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

You can read case filings on PACER for a per-page fee.

No. Posting bail on the state charge leaves any immigration hold in place. This is the usual order:

1. The jail gets a detainer request from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Form I-247A.
2. Under that request, the person can be kept for up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released, so ICE can take over (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Montana officers are required to honor it and must let the person know about the detainer. If the person shows solid papers that they are a U.S. citizen or here legally, the hold doesn't apply (MCA 27-16-801).
4. This jail also houses ICE detainees, so the person may stay in the building or be moved. Montana cases are run from ICE's Salt Lake City Field Office, 2975 Decker Lake Drive, Suite 100, West Valley City, UT 84119, 801-736-1200.
5. Search the ICE Online Detainee Locator by A-number, or by name plus country of birth.

After a felony sentence to the Montana Department of Corrections, most people stay at the county jail for a while. State staff assess and classify them there. Where they go next depends on their needs. It may be prison, a prerelease center or a treatment setting.

• Look them up by name or DOC number on the Montana offender search.
• Learn about each site in our Montana state prisons guide.
• Local state supervision is handled by the Probation and Parole office, 406-727-6061.

Under Montana law, a person younger than 18 is a youth. Youth Court, which runs inside District Court, hears most of their cases (MCA 41-5-203). Teens are not booked into the adult jail. They go to the county's Juvenile Detention Center, 1600 26th Street South, Great Falls, MT 59405, 406-454-6930. It is a regional center that also takes youths from many other counties.

• A detained youth must see a judge for a probable cause check within 24 hours. The clock stops on weekends and legal holidays (MCA 41-5-332).
• A youth may get bail. The amount must reflect how much money the teen and their parents have (MCA 41-5-323).
• Juvenile Probation is in Room 108 of the county courthouse, 406-604-7771. Call there about hearings and next steps.

Montana sorts cases by how serious they are and by where they happened:

• Justice Court hears misdemeanors from across the county. Most come from deputies, troopers and wardens. Its limit is crimes punishable by 6 months in jail or a $500 fine at most, and it shares larger misdemeanors with District Court (MCA 3-10-303). It also holds early hearings in felonies.
• Great Falls Municipal Court is a court of record. It hears violations of city ordinances and misdemeanors committed within the city. Felony complaints can be filed there too (MCA 3-6-103).
• Belt and Cascade city courts hear their own town's ordinance cases and may share misdemeanors with Justice Court (MCA 3-11-102).
• District Court handles all felonies, which are offenses punishable by over one year in a state prison (MCA 45-2-101). Its Youth Court hears cases for people under 18.

Because Municipal Court keeps a record, an appeal from it is decided on that record, not by a new trial (MCA 3-6-110). After a trial in a lower court, a notice of appeal is generally due within 10 days (MCA 46-17-311).

Here are the main buildings and offices. Hours are weekdays.

• Clerk of District Court, 415 2nd Avenue North, Great Falls, MT 59401, 406-604-7796, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Four district judges and a standing master hear cases in this building. The county posts a District Court calendars page, and the district's local rules are online.
• Justice Court, same courthouse, 406-604-7787 or 406-604-7788, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It also handles orders of protection and small claims up to $7,000.
• Juvenile Probation for Youth Court, Room 108 of the courthouse, 406-604-7771.
• Municipal Court, Civic Center, Second Floor, 2 Park Drive South, Great Falls, MT 59401, 406-771-1380.
• Town courts in Belt and Cascade are covered in the next answers.

City officers' tickets and arrests within the city come here. The courtroom and payment window are upstairs in the Civic Center, 2 Park Drive South, Great Falls, MT 59401. Mail goes to P.O. Box 5021, Great Falls, MT 59403.

• The front window is open weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
• Open court is on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. People check in from 10:00 to 10:30 a.m., and court starts at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday has no open court.
• The judge does not take phone calls or private meetings. Questions for the judge are raised in open court.
• Someone with a warrant from this court should come to court to see the judge right away.
• For TTY, dial 711 or 1-800-253-4091. The main line is 406-771-1380.

Belt and Cascade are small towns without their own police. Deputies patrol both under contracts with the Sheriff's Office. Each town still has a city court for its own laws:

• Belt City Court: send mail to P.O. Box 453, Belt, MT 59412. Its phone, 406-277-3621, is also the Town Hall line.
• Cascade City Court shares a number with Town Hall, 406-468-2808. Mail goes to P.O. Box 314, Cascade, MT 59421.

Neihart is a tiny town of about 41 people. For an arrest there or anywhere outside a town, call Justice Court at 406-604-7787 to ask where the case is filed. A felony from any town still ends up in District Court.

After an arrest, police must take the person to the nearest judge "without unnecessary delay" (MCA 46-7-101). The judge may appear in person or by video. The judge has a set list of things to explain at this hearing (MCA 46-7-102):

• what crimes they are accused of
• that they may have a lawyer, free if they can't pay
• the general ways to be released before trial
• that they do not have to make a statement, and any statement could be used as evidence
• that a conviction could affect their right to have guns
• if the charge is a felony complaint, their right to a judge's ruling on whether there is enough cause

Release is settled right away at this same hearing (MCA 46-9-109). Bring the person's job and family details if you attend, since the judge may ask about ties to the area.

Outside city limits, the County Attorney files misdemeanors in Justice Court. Inside Great Falls, city cases go to Municipal Court. At arraignment the person enters a plea. Pleading not guilty sets the case for trial. Six jurors hear it if either side wants a jury (MCA 46-17-201).

The law sets a deadline. If 6 months pass after the plea and the defense did not cause the wait, the court must throw the case out for good, unless the state shows good cause (MCA 46-13-401). Typical penalties:

• DUI, first offense: a fine of $600 to $1,000 and 24 hours to 6 months behind bars (MCA 61-8-1007)
• First or second theft of $1,500 or less: up to 6 months, a fine up to $1,500, or both (MCA 45-6-301)
• Partner or family member assault, first time: $100 to $1,000 and from 24 hours up to a year in jail (MCA 45-5-206)
• Any misdemeanor without its own penalty: as much as 6 months and $500 (MCA 46-18-212)

A misdemeanor sentence can be deferred for a year at most (MCA 46-18-201). If the person meets every term, the charge can later be dismissed, and its records become confidential (MCA 46-18-204).

Most felonies follow this path:

1. Initial appearance. Usually in Justice Court or Municipal Court, where release is decided.
2. Probable cause. A preliminary hearing may be held, unless it is waived (MCA 46-10-105). The County Attorney can also get District Court's permission to file a formal charging paper, called an information (MCA 46-11-201). A district judge may also call a grand jury.
3. Arraignment. In open court, the person receives a copy of the charge and then answers it (MCA 46-12-201).
4. Trial. A jury of 12 decides unless both sides waive it in writing (MCA 46-16-110). All 12 must agree.
5. Sentencing. It comes after a plea or verdict of guilty.

Felonies without their own penalty carry up to 10 years in prison, a $50,000 fine, or both (MCA 46-18-213). Theft over $1,500 has the same top limit. Possessing dangerous drugs carries a maximum of 5 years. For a first such conviction, the law leans toward a deferred sentence (MCA 45-9-102). A felony sentence may be deferred up to 3 years, but not for someone with an earlier felony (MCA 46-18-201).

Charges that involve violence face stricter steps from arrest to sentence:

• Arrest. In a partner violence call with an injury, a weapon or a broken order, the law prefers an arrest (MCA 46-6-311).
• No-contact order. A standing order may bar contact for 72 hours or until the first court date. The judge reviews it at that hearing (MCA 45-5-209).
• Bail. A judge must see anyone charged with partner assault, choking a partner, stalking or breaking a protection order before release (MCA 46-9-302).
• Monitoring. An ankle monitor is the starting point for felony stalking or a repeat partner assault, if monitors exist here (MCA 46-9-108).
• Penalty. A third partner or family member assault can mean 30 days to 5 years (MCA 45-5-206).

Outside capital cases with strong proof, bail can't be flatly denied. Yet holding a person until trial is allowed when no conditions would keep people safe (MCA 46-9-106).

The County Attorney's Office prosecutes every felony in the county, misdemeanors outside Great Falls city limits, and Youth Court cases. It also handles Highway Patrol and wildlife citations. The office is at 121 4th Street North, Suite 2A, Great Falls, MT 59401, 406-454-6915. It is open weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and closes from noon to 1:00 p.m. If local prosecutors have a conflict of interest, the attorney general's Prosecution Services Bureau can take the case, 406-444-2026.

For the defense, Montana's Office of State Public Defender has a branch at 615 2nd Avenue North, Great Falls, MT 59403, 406-770-3200. The state's conflict defender office for this region is at 600 Central Avenue, Suite 327, Great Falls, MT 59401, 406-604-7581. Anyone can apply through the public defender application site. The court makes the final call on who qualifies (MCA 47-1-111).

Montana runs two free court portals. Both can be searched with a name or a case number:

• Justice, Municipal and city court cases: the limited jurisdiction portal.
• Felonies: the District Court portal. Log in and open the scheduling tab to see public hearing calendars.

Cases about minors and sealed cases are left off both portals. Justice Court also links a records search on its county web page. For a felony date, call the clerk at 406-604-7796. For a city date, call Municipal Court at 406-771-1380. Clerks will want the legal name and birth date.

A copy of a police report goes through the County Attorney's Office. It uses a Confidential Criminal Justice Information request form. The fee is $15, paid by money order or cashier's check.

For county warrants, the Clerk of Court points people to the Sheriff's Office, so start with a call to 406-454-6820. City warrants come from Municipal Court. Its Warrants List page shows how to search its portal for an active warrant, and the clerks at 406-771-1380 can help when the portal is offline. Any pending case appears on the free portal for lower courts or the felony court portal. People who fled state supervision or escaped show as wanted on the DOC offender search. A city warrant means going to Municipal Court to see the judge. For any other warrant, get legal advice, then surrender or ask the court for a fresh date.

Yes. The Eighth Judicial District has run a Veterans Treatment Court since 2013. It is an outpatient program that lasts at least 16 months.

• It is for veterans 18 or older who have a DD-214 and live in or are moving to the county.
• The person must have a substance abuse, chemical dependency or mental health diagnosis.
• People enter through a deferred or suspended sentence, probation, parole or, at times, pretrial diversion.
• A guilty plea is required, except in diversion cases.

The program office is at 600 Central Avenue, Suite 211, Great Falls, MT 59401. The coordinator's number is 406-604-7602. A defense lawyer can ask whether a client might fit.

Federal crimes from this county are heard in the Great Falls Division of the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana. The court is in the Missouri River Federal Courthouse, 125 Central Avenue West, Suite 110, Great Falls, MT 59404. The clerk can be reached at 406-727-1922, weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Public computers there show case information.

• The first federal court date includes a hearing on detention, where the judge decides between jail and release (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• The U.S. Marshals Service keeps federal defendants locked up and moves them to court. The county Detention Facility houses Marshals detainees. The district office line is 406-200-6004.
• Pretrial and probation officers for the federal court work in the same building, 406-453-4461.
• Look up filings on PACER. After sentencing, the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator tracks the person.

The state case keeps moving, but a detainer changes the release. Using Form I-247A, ICE requests that the jail keep custody up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released, giving agents time to pick them up (8 CFR 287.7(d)).

1. Montana requires the officer holding the detainer to take the person into custody on it and tell them the reason (MCA 27-16-801).
2. That rule doesn't apply to anyone who offers believable evidence of citizenship or legal immigration status.
3. Since 2025, an officer making a lawful stop may make a reasonable attempt to learn a person's immigration status (MCA 46-5-401).
4. The county jail also houses ICE detainees. After ICE takes custody, the case is managed by its Salt Lake City Field Office, 2975 Decker Lake Drive, Suite 100, West Valley City, UT 84119, 801-736-1200.
5. Use the ICE Online Detainee Locator to find where they are.

When a judge sends someone to the Montana Department of Corrections, the person often waits at the county jail while state staff complete an assessment. After that comes a placement in prison, prerelease or treatment.

• See location and status on the state offender lookup.
• Our Montana state prisons guide has details on every facility.
• Parole hearings are held by the Board of Pardons and Parole, 1002 Hollenbeck Road, Deer Lodge, MT 59722, 406-846-1404.
• Local probation and parole officers work from 219 5th Street South, Suite A, Great Falls, MT 59405, 406-727-6061.

A district judge sits as the Youth Court judge (MCA 41-5-203). The County Attorney prosecutes these cases. Files for minors are left off the public court portals.

• Detained youths stay at the county's Juvenile Detention Center, 1600 26th Street South, Great Falls, MT 59405, 406-454-6930.
• A detained youth gets a probable cause hearing within 24 hours. Weekend days and holidays are not counted (MCA 41-5-332).
• If the crime is very serious, prosecutors can seek to move the case of a youth age 12 or up into adult court (MCA 41-5-206).
• State prisons can't hold anyone younger than 16.

Parents can call Juvenile Probation in Room 108 of the courthouse at 406-604-7771 to learn the next court date.

Victim-Witness Assistance Services is a Great Falls nonprofit that serves the city and the county. The County Attorney's Office lists it in the City Attorney's Office, 2 Park Drive South, Room 101, Great Falls, MT 59403. Call 406-455-8535, or leave a message any hour at 406-452-6256. For orders of protection, Municipal Court lists a victim witness line, 406-315-1111.

• In serious cases, plea deals, dismissals and releases come only after the prosecutor consults the victim (MCA 46-24-104).
• VINE sends free alerts about state felony offenders. Register on VINELink or call 800-456-3076.
• The state's crime victim compensation program pays up to $25,000 in costs. Call 800-498-6455.