Flathead County Detention Center

Flathead County Detention Center basic information to help guide you through what you can do for your inmate while they are incarcerated. The facility's direct contact number: 406-758-5585

The Flathead County Detention Center is a medium-security detention center located at 920 S Main St in Kalispell, MT. This county jail is operated locally by the Flathead County Sheriff's Office and holds inmates awaiting trial or sentencing. Most of the sentenced inmates are here for less than two years. Flathead County accepts inmates from surrounding towns, municipalities, the US Marshal's Service and the Kalispell Police Department who do not have their own long-term lock-up.

There are new detainees delivered to the jail daily, you can see arrest records here. Some are released after putting up bail, are released to a pretrial services caseload, are placed under supervision by a probation agency, or are released on their own recognizance with an agreement to appear in court. If there is no release, the inmate must wait here at the jail for their court appearance as a guest of the County, getting a bed and three square meals.

Trustees are inmates who work in the jail as cooks, as orderlies for the staff, in the laundry or in the commissary. The trustees are paid a very small amount for their time and some jail gives the trustees a few days off their sentence in exchange for their work.

When an inmate arrives in jail they are put together in a large holding cell with other inmates in the intake. While in intake they are under heightened observation. Violent and out of control inmates are segregated.

Can I Get Work Release?

Work release is when you are released from jail during the day so that you can go to work. At the end of the day, you return to jail for the night. There are a number of requirements to be able to get into the work-release program. Most programs require your employer to fill out some paperwork. If you want to get into the work release program then apply prior to being sentenced to jail. This will minimize the amount of time you spend in jail waiting to get into the program.

Can I call my family in Jail?

Flathead County Detention Center has a phone program where inmates make outbound calls only, you cannot call into jail. Since you are paying for those calls don't make it a habit of accepting collect-calls, they are over $15 each. The alternative is to set up an account through their third-party phone company which charges steep fees for each minute used. You are paying for them to call you. Click here if you are going to speak a lot and need a discount on the calls.

Remember - These phone calls are recorded and conversations can be used against you or the inmate so do not discuss your case over these phone lines.

The Detention Center is equipped to hold adult male and female persons.  It was opened in October of 1987 with a holding capacity of 63.  Our average daily inmate population in 2007 was 92.  With the expansion in 2018 we currently have 154 beds.  The majority of persons held in this facility are pre-trial, meaning they have been accused but not convicted of a criminal offense. Inmates have daily access to medical care. Due to HIPPA laws; medical issues of inmates are confidential and cannot be discussed with others. Commissary is offered two times a week; available items for order include hygiene items and food selections. Please note that cash money is the only thing accepted for inmates.

The adult detention facility is a division of the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office. The facility is operated twenty-four hours a day throughout the year. Detention Staff attends training at the Montana Law Enforcement Academy on the latest techniques in offender management.  All officers are CPR and First Aid qualified.