(Photo by Sarah Mosquera)
Earlier this month, the Montana State Prison (MSP) faced a severe water crisis that left incarcerated people without running water for more than two weeks. The outage disrupted showers, sinks, and toilets across the facility, affecting roughly 1,500 incarcerated people.
Water issues at MSP highlight long-standing vulnerabilities in its aging infrastructure, which was built in the 1970s and has largely been maintained through reactive repairs rather than long-term upgrades.
On October 10, multiple water pipes broke within the secure compound, forcing the state to truck in water, deploy portable toilets and showers, and mobilize the Montana National Guard to help manage the emergency.
The 2025 Montana Legislature had already allocated $21 million for prison infrastructure upgrades, including renovations to the water system. Of that, approximately $10 million had been earmarked for waterline improvements. The DOC reports construction plans are in the works.
First-hand accounts
Montana Free Press interviewed incarcerated person Bryce Baltezar, who described conditions during the crisis as dystopian:
“As soon as you hit the door, it smells like [urine] smacking you right in the face. The smell of human waste has become the new normal.”
Baltezar told the Montana Free Press that roughly 90% of the prison’s population was affected by the leak and expressed serious concerns about sanitation and safety for himself and others.
Our Investigations Manager, Karl Pitcher, shared the human impact:
“The water crisis at MSP has been a horrible situation for our clients and all inmates. It has forced each inmate to share a portable toilet with over 100 other inmates, required the men to walk outside in the cold to the portable showers, and has caused individuals with severe medical issues even more distress due to the inability to properly bathe. My understanding is that it has been incredibly difficult on the prison employees/staff as well. It has just been an overall terrible ordeal.”
As of late October, the Montana Department of Corrections reports that full water service has been restored to all buildings and housing units. However, the boil advisory remains in effect while testing continues.
Our Legal Director, Brady Minow Smith, added:
“We’re happy to report the water is back on at the prison. In addition to having an increasingly difficult time with the daily hardships, the water situation has posed a significant problem communicating with our clients due to inability to facilitate our visits. It was inhumane conditions for their day-to-day lives and resulted in substandard access to their attorneys.”
| Client Aaron Oliphant’s Mom Rena Oliphant on Dignity, Health, and What We Don’t See Our client, Aaron Oliphant, who is housed in the work dorm, has fortunately avoided the most immediate impacts of the crisis. However, his mother, Rena Oliphant, shared important reflections that help frame this issue through a human rights lens—reminding us that the impact of such crises extends far beyond infrastructure failure. On basic dignity “Not having water means not having clean laundry, not having access to everything that requires water, which is a lot of things. Think about how you’d feel if you lost water and how quickly that would impact your life. You might think people in there get what they deserve, but this isn’t about luxury. It’s about these people being humans. And this [incarceration] could happen to anybody, so don’t think you’re above it.” She also noted that while some solutions were eventually implemented, they were not available right away, deepening the hardship for those affected. On morale and humanity Rena spoke about the fragile balance incarcerated people must maintain every day, carefully navigating relationships with staff and other inmates to stay safe and maintain some comfort in a dehumanizing environment. A crisis like this one further strains that delicate balance for everyone at the prison—including both incarcerated people and staff. Even those who aren’t immediately affected by the water crisis feel its impact on morale. “Real problems are going on that are affecting people drastically,” she said. On health and long-term impacts Rena also raised a critical concern about the prison’s water safety. She noted that incarcerated people were only recently told not to drink the water, even though publicly available records from the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services show the prison’s aging water system tested positive for coliform bacteria 11 times in 2025 and eight times in 2024. Adding to her frustrations as the mother of someone incarcerated at MSP, Rena said she doesn’t understand why these agencies haven’t held the prison accountable for making improvements. “I also hold these agencies accountable for not enforcing their own findings,” Rena said. “Even if people aren’t sick right now, what about ten or twenty years down the line, after years of taking in toxic stuff?” Her concern echoes public health research showing that incarceration is linked to significantly shorter life expectancy, with some studies suggesting each year in prison may reduce lifespan by as much as two years. On hidden impacts Rena also reminded us that the full scope of harm is often unseen, as incarcerated people frequently shield their loved ones from the full truth of their experiences. “We get to hear things, but we don’t always know the truth,” Rena said. “I think Aaron doesn’t always tell me everything because he doesn’t want me to worry.” Finding support Rena also suggested that loved ones of incarcerated people can find community and allyship on Facebook. She recommends the groups “Incarcerated Families in Montana Prisons” and “406 Revolutionized” as places to share experiences, ask questions, and connect with others navigating similar challenges. Why this matters for justice When people are cut off from basic sanitation and communication with counsel, their constitutional rights and their dignity are both at risk. These conditions also impact prison staff, families on the outside concerned about their loved ones, as demonstrated by the insights Rena shared with us, and the broader integrity of Montana’s justice system. For our clients, the inability to adequately meet with their legal team deepens the harm of wrongful and unjust incarceration. When the system fails to meet even the most basic human needs, it reminds us that the pursuit of justice doesn’t stop at conviction—it includes how we treat people while they’re inside. At the Montana Innocence Project, we believe No one should lose access to safe water or hygiene as part of incarceration. The state has a legal and moral duty to maintain humane and healthy living conditions. Learn more Montana State Prison pipe leaks create crisis – Montana Free Press, Oct 16 2025 Montana DOC official updates – State of Montana Newsroom Montana State Prison Publicly Available Drinking Water Tests – Drinking Water Branch Water back on at Montana State Prison – Montana Free Press, Oct 27 2025 Water service fully restored – Daily Montanan, Oct 27 2025 |