Old Montana State Prison: More Than a Museum; Punishment and Incarceration from the Early Days of the Montana Territory to Present Day
Date
2023-02-26
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Southern New Hampshire University
Abstract
This project explores the need for a deeper look into the experiences during the more than
one hundred years of operation of the Old Montana State Prison. The main component of the
project has cultivated an online, interactive exhibit that details life in the Montana Territory, the
Gold Rush, and the Vigilante Justice that followed. Also detailed is the history of the institution,
including a treasured inmate, the Riot of 1959, and women’s experiences in prison. This analysis
is done through a summary of the current scholarship on the Old Montana State Prison,
incarceration in the broader US prison system, and the influences of the past on the current
Montana State Prison facility. Being that the major interpretational trends tend to focus on a
singular topic and are often narratives, rather than individual interpretations, the following will
address the need for a deeper look at the history involved.
Additionally, the importance of using both a social and cultural lens in the methodology is
explained, as social interactions and cultural groups are vital to the understanding of human
nature and how that relates to incarceration. The sources and repositories used to accomplish this
span from local sources to sources that address the topic in a national sense and even beyond.
Books from those who experienced life at the Old Montana State Prison and around the local
area were integral to uncovering the humanistic aspect of incarceration. The Montana Historical
Society was a major contributor to the documents and items showcased in the accompanying
online exhibit. Other sources include modern narratives of the state of the United State Prison
System today, with a case study of sorts in a private Louisiana prison, to news articles that
correspond to the present issues faced at the current Montana State Prison Facility.
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