Yellowstone County commissioners are weighing a $100,000 annual contribution to expand a Billings-based diversion program that keeps first-time, nonviolent felony offenders out of jail, ktvq.com reported. The move is aimed at relieving chronic overcrowding at the Yellowstone County Detention Facility.

Beta Alternatives has run the program since 1996 and currently serves roughly 350 people. Under the proposed expansion, the program would extend to an additional 120 individuals, with a focus on those facing drug-related felony charges.

Brandy Sanders, director of community programs at Beta Alternatives, said the program targets people who can still contribute to their communities. “These are individuals that hopefully are still productive citizens,” she told ktvq.com.

Beta Alternatives estimates the expansion could save Yellowstone County nearly $2 million per year — with projected savings of approximately $1.9 million annually through lower jail costs, reduced court caseloads, higher employment rates among participants, and fewer felony convictions on record.

Billings defense attorney Joe Zavatsky, who has represented hundreds of clients in the county, said the program addresses two problems at once. “The innovative probation, if that’s expanded, can alleviate both things — the jail overcrowding plus the time and the resources that the court system has,” he told ktvq.com.

The Yellowstone County Detention Facility has operated over capacity for an extended period, making alternatives to incarceration an ongoing priority for county officials. Commissioners have not yet announced a final decision on the funding proposal.