Montana State Prison’s Water Crisis Exposes Decades of Neglect and Threatens Inmate Safety

Nearly a week into a severe water crisis at Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge, the deplorable conditions faced by inmates reveal more than just plumbing failures—they lay bare decades of bureaucratic neglect that now threatens both inmate welfare and the broader community. The prison’s antiquated water and sewer system, originally constructed in the 1970s, has finally collapsed under years of deferred maintenance. As a result, approximately 1,500 inmates have suffered from intermittent or absent running water since October 10—a situation prison officials describe as an unprecedented emergency. How Did We Let Critical Infrastructure Decay to This Point? This crisis...