In 1893, the state of Montana established the State Reform School, which was located on the site of the old Women's Reformatory two miles east of Miles City. In 1894, the school opened and served any "sane boy or girl" aged 8 to 21 who had committed any crime except murder or manslaughter, or who, "for want of proper parental care is growing up in mendicancy, or vagrancy, or is incorrigible." The children had to be committed by a court and remained at the school until granted parole on account of good behavior or until they turned 21. The school was governed by a local board of trustees of three members appointed by the Governor and was under the daily supervision of a male director in charge of the boys and a matron in charge of the girls. The children attended classes in the morning and worked on the school farm. In later years, the older students learned a trade, while the younger helped with chores. In 1915, the institution was renamed the Montana State Industrial School, and by 1921, all of the female students had transferred to the Vocational School for Girls in Helena.

In 1951, a Board of Education investigating committee reported poor conditions and abusive methods at the school. The president was replaced, less coercive methods put into practice, and the curriculum revised. In 1953, an executive board was created. It consisted of five members appointed by the governor for four years and had "immediate direction and control other than financial of the affairs of the State Industrial School," subject to the State Board of Education. In 1967, the school was renamed the Pine Hills School, then later the Pine Hills Correctional Facility.

In the 1917 Legislative Assembly a bill, supported by the Montana Federation of Women's Clubs and the Good Government Club, requested a separate school for girls. The bill failed, but was reintroduced in the 1919 session and passed. The primary function of the school was to be "the care, education, training, treatment and rehabilitation of girls ten (10) years of age or older and under twenty-one (21) years of age who were committed to the school by a court as provided by law." In April 1920, six girls were transferred to the newly built Vocational School for Girls outside Helena. The last girls were transferred from Miles City to Helena in 1921. In 1967, the school was renamed Mountain View School, and in 1996, it ceased operation.

In July 1968, the Swan River Youth Forest Camp began operations. Located in the 39,000-acre Swan River State Forest, the camp served as a minimum-security correctional facility for young law offenders aged 16 to 25, referred by court commitments or the Pine Hills School. In 1972 the Department of Institutions began using the camp for the rehabilitation of felons from the Montana State Prison, up to and including age 25. The camp offered a work program, including forestry, carpentry, mechanics, and camp maintenance. In 1975 an average of 85% of the inmates obtained their GED. By the 1980s, the facility was transferred to private ownership.

Prior 1982, women inmates were housed at the Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge, a facility which also housed male inmates. The establishment of the Women's Correctional Center (WCC), located on the Warm Springs campus, was originally authorized by the Montana Legislature as a temporary facility to house a maximum of 30 female inmates. Opened in 1982, the facility was a converted nurses' dormitory. Due to overcrowding, the 1989 legislature directed the Department of Institutions, in cooperation with the Criminal Justice and Corrections Advisory Council, to develop a comprehensive plan for housing adult female inmates and present it to the 52nd legislature. A subcommittee on women offenders was appointed to study the issue. In 1991, based on the committee's recommendations, the legislature passed House Bill 528, which provided financing for a 120-bed facility with support services capable of serving 200 inmates in the future. In 1994, the new Women's Correctional Center opened in Billings, and by 2022, it was officially named the Montana Women's Prison.