Alternatives

What Alternatives does

Alternatives, Inc. is a Billings, Montana-based non-profit organization founded in 1980 that delivers community corrections and re-entry services to federal, state, and local offenders across Yellowstone, Carbon, and Stillwater Counties. The organization operates an integrated portfolio of programs: Alpha House, a men's Pre-release Center providing 24-hour supervision for approximately six months; Passages, a women's facility comprising a 74-bed Pre-release Center, a 50-bed Assessment/Sanction/Revocation Center, and a 50-bed Alcohol and Drug Treatment Program; Beta Jail Alternatives programs in Yellowstone, Carbon, and Stillwater Counties; Misdemeanor Probation; and the Compass community corrections program. Services are designed to reduce jail overcrowding, teach personal responsibility, support substance-abuse recovery, and facilitate re-entry into the Billings community.

The organization is not a technology company; its "core technology" is described as not applicable. The only notable technical artifact is the Case Manager Connection portal, a data-sharing system that gives Montana Department of Corrections employees access to current information on offenders housed at Alpha House and Passages. Alternatives has demonstrated sustained regulatory compliance through three PREA audit cycles (2013, 2016, 2019, and 2022), receiving final USDOJ certification in December 2022.

Revenue is derived almost entirely from government contracts — principally with the Montana Department of Corrections and with Yellowstone, Carbon, and Stillwater County governments — to deliver pre-release center services, jail alternatives, misdemeanor probation, and substance-abuse treatment. Pricing is set through government procurement processes rather than public fee schedules. Headcount is in the 101-250 range, and the organization is governed by a Board of Directors and an executive administration, with named facility directors for Alpha House and Passages and a dedicated PREA Coordinator. No funding rounds, acquisitions, or private-sector customers are disclosed.

Name

Alternatives

Legal name

Alternatives, Inc.

Website

https://altinc.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Alternatives, Inc. is a Billings, Montana-based non-profit founded in 1980 that provides community corrections, pre-release, jail-alternative, misdemeanor probation, and substance-abuse treatment services under contract with the Montana Department of Corrections and Yellowstone, Carbon, and Stillwater Counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Corrections Services

NAICS

Correctional Institutions (922140), Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities (623220)

SIC

Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAIAFAE

Community Corrections (Probation, Parole & Reentry)

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Justice System (Courts, Prosecution & Corrections)

SECONDARYBPAGAEAO

Substance Use Recovery & Harm Reduction Support Services

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Services & Community Support (Food, Housing, Family)

Keywords

• Community corrections services
• Pre-release centers
• Jail alternatives programs
• Misdemeanor probation supervision
• Substance abuse treatment

Headquarters

HQ city

Billings

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Contracted Corrections Services: Revenue derived from contracts with Montana Department of Corrections, Yellowstone County, and other government entities to provide pre-release center services, jail alternatives, misdemeanor probation, and alcohol/drug treatment programs for offenders.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Alternatives, Inc. provides community corrections and re-entry services under contract with the Montana Department of Corrections and county governments. The portfolio includes residential pre-release centers (Alpha House for men and Passages for women), the Passages Assessment/Sanction/Revocation Center, a 50-bed Alcohol and Drug Treatment Program, Beta Jail Alternatives in Yellowstone and Stillwater Counties, Misdemeanor Probation, and the Compass community corrections supervision program.

Product overview

Alternatives, Inc. is a community corrections organization providing alternatives to incarceration for federal, state, and local offenders in Yellowstone, Carbon, and Stillwater Counties, Montana. Since 1980, the organization has operated a portfolio of residential and supervision programs including Alpha House (a men's Pre-release Center), Passages (a women's Pre-release Center with addiction recovery services), Beta Jail Alternatives, Misdemeanor Probation, and the Compass Program. These programs are designed to promote public safety while helping offenders transition back into the community through structured supervision, treatment, and accountability measures.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Alpha House: Men's Pre-release Center (PRC) located in Billings, MT serving as an intermediate step between prisons and the community. Residents live under 24-hour supervision for approximately six months.
• Passages
• Beta Jail Alternatives
• Misdemeanor Probation
• Compass

Products and services

• Alpha House A men's Pre-release Center (PRC) located in Billings, MT that serves as an intermediate step between prisons and the community. Offenders live at Alpha House under 24-hour supervision for approximately six months.
• Passages A women's facility in Billings, MT comprising a 74-bed Women's Pre-release Center, a 50-bed Assessment/Sanction/Revocation Center, and a 50-bed Alcohol and Drug Treatment Program.
• Beta Jail Alternatives Jail alternatives programs offered in Yellowstone and Stillwater Counties, designed to reduce jail overcrowding, teach responsibility, keep indigent offenders out of jail, and save taxpayer money.
• Misdemeanor Probation Misdemeanor probation management services for offenders assigned to Alternatives by contracting counties.
• Compass Program services for offenders under community corrections supervision.

Quantifiable outcome

• Programs designed to reduce jail overcrowding and save taxpayer money
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Great Falls Transition CenterminorOthersThird-party reporting partner for PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act) compliance. Allows family and friends to report allegations of sexual abuse and harassment through this entity.
• YWCA BillingsminorOthersThird-party reporting partner for PREA compliance. Provides additional渠道 for family and friends to report allegations of sexual abuse and harassment.
• Billings Police DepartmentminorOthersMOU partner for PREA reporting and investigation coordination with local law enforcement.
• Montana Department of CorrectionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary government partner providing oversight and funding for offender programs. Case Manager Connection system allows DOC employees to access up-to-date information on offenders in Alternatives facilities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• GEO Group: Major for-profit corrections and community reentry provider with residential and non-residential programs serving federal, state, and local offenders. Comparable function to Alternatives but at a much larger scale and with national geographic reach.
• CoreCivic: Largest US private corrections and community reentry operator, operating prisons, detention centers, and community corrections across multiple states. Comparable in serving the corrections/reentry value chain but operates at vastly greater scale and is a for-profit, publicly traded company.
• Acadia Healthcare: Large behavioral healthcare operator running residential and outpatient substance abuse treatment facilities. Comparable to the alcohol and drug treatment program component embedded in Alternatives' Passages facility, though at substantially greater scale.

Direct peers

• The Salvation Army: Large non-profit operating correctional services, prison re-entry programs (such as the Adult Rehabilitation Centers), substance abuse treatment, and community supervision — directly comparable to Alternatives' integrated model of supervision plus alcohol/drug treatment.
• Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation: Non-profit provider of residential and outpatient substance abuse treatment, including specialized programs for justice-involved populations. Comparable in delivering alcohol/drug treatment services under a non-profit structure with co-located recovery programming.
• Southwest Key Programs: Non-profit providing community-based youth and family services including juvenile justice, residential programs, and re-entry support. Comparable in operating contracted residential and community corrections programs under government reimbursement.
• Rite of Passage: Non-profit provider of residential and community-based youth services, including juvenile justice and corrections programming. Comparable to Alternatives' residential pre-release and community corrections model, though focused on a younger offender population.
• Youth Advocate Programs: Non-profit providing community-based alternatives to incarceration and re-entry services for at-risk youth and families, operating under government contracts. Comparable in offering non-residential and community-based alternatives to detention similar to Alternatives' jail alternatives and misdemeanor probation programs.
• Volunteers of America: National non-profit providing a broad range of human services including corrections, reentry, behavioral health, and substance abuse programs. Most directly comparable as a non-profit delivering community-based offender supervision, re-entry support, and treatment services similar to Alternatives' portfolio.

Others

• Goodwill Industries International: Non-profit operating re-entry and workforce development programs for justice-involved individuals, often under government contracts. Comparable in mission and contracting model to Alternatives, though primarily focused on employment rather than residential supervision.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/altincbillings
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/community-resource-alternatives

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Alternatives