MOVE TO UTAH STATE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY

When will my loved one be moved to the new Utah State Correctional Facility in Salt Lake City?

In the time leading up to the transition to the new facility, incarcerated people and their supporters can expect to see increased movement. We want to assure you this is anticipated and is normal prior to a move of this scale. It is part of an effort to limit the number of people and property to be transitioned from Draper to Salt Lake City. Some individuals might be shifted to live in the Central Utah Correctional Facility or a contracted county jail facility rather than be moved to the new site. In addition to supporting logistics of the move itself, this may result in housing that is more appropriate for the individual and provide treatment opportunities. 

The Department will not release the move date(s) to the general public as this would present a security risk for the incarcerated individual, our staff, and the general public. 

Please note that we have done our best to prepare the incarcerated for this move without compromising the safety and security of our operations. 

My loved one has medical needs, will they be met during the move to the new facility?

The Clinical Services Bureau will remain functional during the transition. It may be helpful to note that our team are experts in transporting individuals who are housed in a correctional facility. Dozens of safe and secure moves are orchestrated on a daily basis in order to accommodate an incarcerated individual’s medical needs including visits to outside specialists, court, and hospitals. Any prescription medication will be transported with the inmate to the new prison. 

Will visiting be different at the new facility?

The “visiting” page on the public website will be updated soon to provide more information on this topic.

What property can my loved one take to the new facility?

We’ve included a detailed article at this link regarding property. You can also view this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lSoyW5QI80&t=1s

Will property pick up be the same?

Incarcerated individuals will have 30 days from the date of disposition to inform a family member and have them retrieve the incarcerated individual’s property. All property dispositioned before or during the move from USP to USCF will be held, and must be retrieved, from the Draper (USP) site.

Once regular operations are reestablished at USCF, there will be a new process for retrieving dispositioned property. Family members will be asked to call a specific phone number in order to schedule an appointment for property pickup. We will share that number on this page when it becomes available. 

Scheduling an appointment in advance allows our staff to confirm all of the necessary information and have the incarcerated individual’s property ready for pickup as soon as the family member arrives on site at USCF. 

Appointments for property pickup will be offered in three two-hour windows each day: 7-9 am, 11 am-1 pm, and 3-5 pm. Appointments should be scheduled at least one day in advance, but should only take roughly 10 minutes to complete via a contact-free pickup process.

All dispositioned property pickups at the new Utah State Correctional Facility will occur at the new Utah Correctional Industries (UCI) Showroom–which means family members will not be required to enter UDC’s secure perimeter in order to retrieve their loved one’s property. The new UCI showroom is located just before entering the secured portion of USCF.

How can I send mail to my loved one at the new facility?

Mail will be sent the same as usual; however, the address will change once our move is complete. This information will be updated when operations resume at the new Utah State Correctional Facility. Any mail sent to the current address prior to the prison move, will be automatically forwarded to your loved one at the new prison.

When will programming and visiting resume at the new facility after the move?

Our goal is to resume normal operations, including programming and visiting, as quickly as possible. Our intent is that both will resume just days after the move is completed.

My loved one may be released from the new prison,  what will release days look like at the new facility?

We are working through these logistics now, and will provide more updates. You can refer to this webpage for more information: 

https://corrections.utah.gov/release-day/

Are there enough officers to staff the new prison? What about staffing the new and current facility during the actual move?

While we are facing a staffing shortage, our Operations team has done an incredible job of planning for the move, as well as staffing the new facility. We do not anticipate issues at this time, but we are also in constant communication with relevant stakeholders and are actively working to hire more staff.

What is the rationale for not allowing inmates to take unopened hygiene items to the new prison?

Items can be disguised or manipulated to appear new and therefore create a security concern. Individuals can conceal objects or make it difficult for staff to search them, thereby enabling them to smuggle contraband like drugs or weapons into a correctional facility. These practices were implemented in an effort to help ensure a safe and secure prison environment.  Individuals will be provided, at no cost to them, necessary hygiene items so they don’t go without. We are also working to return the inmates property back to them as quickly as possible after the move. The more items we have to search and transport, the longer the delay will be in getting inmates their property after the move is complete.

Will the entire state (both prisons and county jails) be locked down or restricted during the move?

The Department won’t be airing specific plans regarding the move and any necessary security or logistical steps that need to be taken. However, you can generally expect to see some level of disruption to visitation, mail,  phone calls, and increased movements. The Department will strive to minimize and mitigate this impact, but some may be required.

Has UCI contracted with a new vendor to provide commissary and will this impact pricing?

Commissary will still be provided by UCI; however, a vendor is helping with the ordering process, which will now be conducted through tablets and electronic ordering forms. This allows for a live list of items that are actually available so individuals won’t have to order items and then wait to hear back on whether their order was able to be fulfilled. UCI will still provide the items at the same cost as before, so this process should be an improvement on the status quo. While commissary operations are suspended to support the prison move, the department will provide two separate commissary bags to each inmate at no cost.

Will property pick up be the same?

Incarcerated individuals will have 30 days from the date of disposition to inform a family member and have them retrieve the incarcerated individual’s property. All property dispositioned before or during the move from USP to USCF will be held, and must be retrieved, from the Draper (USP) site.

Once regular operations are reestablished at USCF, there will be a new process for retrieving dispositioned property. Family members will be asked to call a specific phone number in order to schedule an appointment for property pickup. We will share that number on this page when it becomes available. 

Scheduling an appointment in advance allows our staff to confirm all of the necessary information and have the incarcerated individual’s property ready for pickup as soon as the family member arrives on site at USCF. 

Appointments for property pickup will be offered in three two-hour windows each day: 7-9 am, 11 am-1 pm, and 3-5 pm. Appointments should be scheduled at least one day in advance, but should only take roughly 10 minutes to complete via a contact-free pickup process.

All dispositioned property pickups at the new Utah State Correctional Facility will occur at the new Utah Correctional Industries (UCI) Showroom–which means family members will not be required to enter UDC’s secure perimeter in order to retrieve their loved one’s property. The new UCI showroom is located just before entering the secured portion of USCF.

My loved one has mentioned that they’ve noticed a lot of mosquitoes at the new Utah State Correctional Facility. Is the Department doing anything to address this?

Have commissary prices increased since the move to USCF?