10 Dec

Posted at 14:07h in Hot Topics
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The Utah Department of Corrections is hosting a Community Town Hall at 6 p.m., Monday, December 16, 2024, at the Fred House Academy, 14727 Minuteman Drive, Draper. Join us for an important discussion and stay informed about our community initiatives. In-person attendance: Submit your info for clearance by noon on Friday, December 13. Each attendee must submit their info. Virtual attendance: Join us live on our YouTube Channel if you can’t make it in person! For questions, contact Esekia "Skee" Afatasi at esekiaafatasi@utah.gov. Don’t miss out! Get your submission in by the deadline!...

02 Dec

Posted at 11:32h in Hot Topics, Latest News
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To curb the introduction of mail contraband, the Utah Department of Corrections is implementing a new incarcerated person(s) mail delivery process. Effective January 6, 2025, incoming mail from friends and family must be sent to Pigeonly Corrections’ mail processing center. Incarcerated Individual Name - Offender ID Number Utah State Correctional Facility -1700 PO Box 96777 Las Vegas, NV 89193 Incarcerated Individual Name - Offender ID Number Central Utah Correctional Facility -1701 PO Box 96777 Las Vegas, NV 89193 Pigeonly will operate the mail processing center. They will open all non-privileged mail and scan them into a digital color copy. The digital color copy will be printed and delivered to USCF or CUCF. Originals will not be returned to the sender but temporarily stored and then securely destroyed. Pigeonly’s Accepted Mail Requirements All mail must have a return address Envelopes must be no larger than 4 in. x 9½ in. Letters must be on paper that is no larger than 8 ½ in. x 11 in. Greeting Cards must be no larger than 5 in. x 7 in. Postcards must be 5 in. x 7 in. Photographs must be 4 in. x 6 in. (limit to 10 photos per parcel)   How is privileged legal mail handled? Attorneys will continue to send privileged legal mail directly to the UDC facility for delivery to their incarcerated clients. Attorneys will need to register beforehand at this link: Privileged Mail by Pigeonly. Once registered, attorneys will have access to create a one-time use QR code sticker, which must be affixed to the envelope. Incarcerated person(s) Name – Inmate ID # Utah State Correctional Facility PO Box 165300 Salt Lake City, UT 84116 Incarcerated person(s) Name – Inmate ID # Central Utah Correctional Facility PO Box 550 Gunnison, UT 84634   Public Legal, Government, or Business Correspondence? Those wishing to send official public legal, government, or business correspondence should send the letter directly to USCF or CUCF. These letters may be subjected to a search. If it is determined that mail sent directly to USCF or CUCF is from friends or family, it will be denied. Examples of non-privileged special correspondence that should be sent directly to USCF or CUCF: Courts and court staff Government office and/or entity Attorneys office Attorney General's Office Congress Embassies and consulates The United States Department of Justice State governors Members of the State Legislature Schools Banks/Credit unions Law enforcement officers in their official capacity Incarcerated person(s) Name – Inmate ID # Utah State Correctional Facility PO Box 165300 Salt Lake City, UT 84116 Incarcerated person(s) Name – Inmate ID # Central Utah Correctional Facility PO Box 550 Gunnison, UT 84634 Pigeonly’s Prohibited Mail Mail with glitter, rhinestones, stickers, or glued items Wax paper letters Shaped-cut photos or papers Letters written on tiny papers or sticky notes Crystals, religious tokens, coins, toys, keychains, stickers, artwork items Unused/blank envelopes, paper, stationary, and stamps Newspaper clippings Envelopes: Express or Priority/hard mail/bubble type/large thin paper envelopes Stapled items Books, booklets, magazines, or anything spined Greeting cards that are overly thick, electronic, fold-out, 3D, have pop-ups, or are oversized Polaroid photos and photographs from 3rd-party vendors (ex. Shutterfly) Official documents Bulk mail Documents you do not want destroyed, such as Birth certificates, driver's licenses, social security cards, etc. Any type of legal mail Envelopes written in light or colored ink Illegible envelopes All forms of money (if unopened): cash, checks, coins, gift cards, credit cards, etc. Any prohibited mail will be returned to the sender   Frequently Asked Questions   Why is this new mail delivery process needed? Postal mail remains an access point to introduce contraband into correctional facilities, which poses a significant health and safety risk. This new process will increase safety while allowing incarcerated individuals to continue corresponding with loved ones in a timely manner. How does the new mail processing system work? Non-legal mail is sent via PO Box to a central processing facility operated by Pigeonly. All non-legal postal mail is opened, screened for contraband, and scanned into an electronic document that closely resembles the original hardcopy, including color. The scanned mail is shared electronically with the correctional facility through a secure dashboard for further screening and review. The scanned mail is printed at Pigeonly’s processing facility and shipped to the designated UDC facility for distribution to the incarcerated recipients, eliminating the risk of contraband. How long does it take for an incarcerated individual to receive non-privileged mail? Within 24 hours of receipt, Pigeonly will open and scan incoming mail, share the electronic scan with the UDC for further screening, and then print and prepare the mail for shipment. Printed mail is delivered via Priority Mail to the designated correctional facility and will be received within 1-3 days of shipment. How long is mail held at Pigeonly’s processing facility? Original copies of postal mail are held for 45 days. After this period, it is destroyed. I sent mail to an incarcerated person(s), and it was returned as undeliverable. Why? It may have been returned because it violates the mail policy. All received mail will be inspected for prohibited materials. Mail that contains the following will be flagged and is subject to being marked as undeliverable: nudity, explicit sexual material, obscene material, violent language, promotion of violence, and contraband such as, but not limited to, weapons, drugs, or items of an unknown substance or odor.   I'm a formerly incarcerated individual and want access to all my scanned mail pieces. Can I get a copy of them? After release, formerly incarcerated individuals can email support@pigeon.ly with their name/inmate ID # to download their scanned mail items for free. I would like to request my original parcels (sender) All mail is held at our mail processing facility for up to 45 days. If you would like to request your original parcel back, please email support@pigeon.ly within that 45-day period. Please be sure to include all the information for the sender and recipient as written on the envelope. Once received, we will return the parcel to the original sender as listed on the envelope....

23 Aug

Posted at 12:32h in Hot Topics
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After a long break, our family orientation sessions are making a comeback! It's an opportunity for family and friends of those incarcerated with the Utah Department of Corrections to ask questions, and learn about everything they need to know to support their loved ones. The family orientation is set for 6 to 8 p.m., Thursday, September 5, at the Fred House Academy, 14727 Minuteman Drive, in Draper. During this gathering, officials will outline information on all areas of the prison, including mail, property, accounting, visiting, phone use and case managers. Those wishing to drop off visiting applications (including copies of IDs and documents) may do so at this event. For information, contact corrections@utah.gov. ...

20 Nov

Posted at 11:05h in Hot Topics
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Choices. Decisions. Challenges. Growth. Those were some of the topics that incarcerated offenders spoke about recently during a public awareness panel at the Central Utah Correctional Facility. The panels are designed to help the public understand events that lead to incarceration and the realities of prison life. During the presentations, inmates share their individual stories and answer questions. In addition to promoting public understanding, the interactions give inmates an opportunity to reflect on their own actions and bad decision-making, while providing a cautionary tale to at-risk youth and others. The panels were frequent before the pandemic, but were shuttered due to Covid-19 issues. They have recently been offered at both facilities. This was the second panel at CUCF since the program restarted. “It all comes down to choices,” said Ben Rettig, a member of the panel. “It came down to my choices, not those around me.” Slowly at first, students from nearby Snow College soon began peppering the three panelists with questions from day-to-day living to philosophical positions. Each of the three took turns answering. “I have a lot of potential for growth, as long as someone nurtures that,” said Rettig, adding that taking advantage of all the education programs in prison “is huge” in promoting change. Even so, they all realize there will be obstacles if and when they are released. For Quentin Hurlich, who will spend more than three decades incarcerated, the task at times seems daunting. “I have never used a smartphone, never been on the internet,” he said. “For me, trying to adapt, it’s going to be a challenge.”...

26 Oct

Posted at 14:00h in Hot Topics, News Archives
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It’s common in Utah to hear about the opening of a facility connected to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. What’s uncommon about the West Valley Transition Branch is its targeted congregants: Those recently released from prison looking to continue the growth they made while incarcerated. The Great Salt Lake District recently held an open house for the branch, tucked in an industrial section of West Valley near the I-215/201 interchange. Visitors included a number of leaders from both the church and the Utah Department of Corrections. “We want this to be a place for them to progress,” said Don R. Clarke, president of the Great Salt Lake District, which oversees the West Valley location and six branches inside the Utah State Correctional Facility. “We provide an environment where they can (continue to) change. They have changed. But they can change back without support.” Open to men and women, but not children, the location currently only has men attending. Branch President Mark Oborn noted that while participants were able to meet regularly during their incarceration, the location of many churches in the community – as well as the makeup of their congregations – often prevented members from attending there. Also, most such locations are not oriented to aid those recently released from prison. “Typical wards and stakes are not set up to help them,” said Oborn. “We’re set up that way. Whatever their needs are, we want to help them.” For Steven Nuttall, released from prison in January after 18 years, the branch “is a safe space.” “There is no circumstance we’ll break parole,” he said while greeting visitors during the open house. “But it isn’t about not doing something, it’s about being engaged in life.” In addition to providing a safe place to worship, the facility provides other resources, such as clothing and help with transportation. But both Oborn and Clarke say attendees aid each other as well. “They help each other as much as we help them,” noted Clarke. “What we do is give them hope – and love.” ...

20 Oct

Posted at 14:58h in Hot Topics
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For the 18 women dressed in white gowns and hats, it was a day to celebrate – even while being incarcerated. The women were taking the morning to acknowledge their completion of the Elevate program at the Utah State Correctional Facility. The drug-treatment course is part of programming the women have received in efforts to help them overcome addiction and successfully reenter society. Completion of Elevate is not an easy task, noted program director Danna Lindermann. Each participant must average a minimum of nine dosage hours of treatment. It includes core curriculum of Cognitive Behavioral Interventions for Substance Use, Cognitive Behavioral Intervention Skills group, Relapse Prevention, Seeking Safety and Transition Group. “Graduates, today you are more than a person in recovery,” Lindermann said during her welcome speech. “You are a survivor, a valuable and important person, worthy of love and acceptance. Today, we honor you.” She added that of the graduates, three received their 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training Certification, four completed Culinary Arts, two completed Business Tech courses (with one in process), two are in process of completing robotics courses, and three have completed their high school degree or GED. With friends and family looking on, several of the graduates took to the podium to express their appreciation for the program and for the chance to have a future different than their past. “It’s been life altering,” said Becky Golly, speaking of the chance to change. “I’m letting go of all my guilt.”...

16 Oct

Posted at 15:15h in Hot Topics, Latest News, News Archives
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It’s the quiet. It’s what makes it stand out in a place of constant noise. Which is strange, because the Reading for the Blind Program at the Utah State Correctional Facility (USCF) is all about sound. The program utilizes incarcerated individuals to give a voice to novels, plays, magazines and more. Their audience will be some of the millions of sight-impaired people who participate in the National Library Service, a free benefit provided to qualified participants by the Library of Congress. Reading for the Blind has been a part of the Utah Department of Corrections for over 40 years, first at Utah State Prison and now at USCF. “It’s so meaningful, not only to those who get our work, but to those who work here,” said Teena Brown, who oversees the program at the facility. “Once I got started, I fell in love with it.” Yet a hush prevails inside the classroom-sized office tucked near the Bear housing units. Those whose job it is to vocally project and speak clearly do so in recording booths behind soundproof doors. Others wear headsets while silently editing the day’s recordings. “I love it, the whole thing, (including) the quiet,” said Russell Black, who is incarcerated at USCF. He worked in other positions with Division of Prison Operations and with Utah Correctional Industries before landing at the program five years ago. He now does repairs on the digital talking book players, used by patrons of the library to listen to audiobooks and magazines. He fixes about 30 a month. “It’s one job that gives meaning to us doing something for those who can’t do it themselves,” he added. The NLS began with passage of the Pratt-Smoot Act in 1931, designed to provide books to blind adults. Its co-author was U.S. Sen. Reed Smoot of Utah. The act was amended in 1933 to include talking books. The Utah State Library administers the program not only for Utah, but for Alaska, Montana and Wyoming as well. It also provides braille material for an additional 19 states, said Lisa Nelson, program manager at the Utah State Library. “We’re very impressed with the quality of material they produce,” said Nelson. “They do a great job.” Quality, and quantity. The state library has a recording studio as well, but it is staffed by volunteers who may be in the office a day or two a week. The 16 or so staffers at USCF are there five days a week, cranking out content. “We can get things done a lot faster there,” noted Nelson. “They really do have a quick turnaround.” Small projects can be done in a week. Bigger projects, like entire books, take more time, said Christie Jensen, who has worked for the UDC for nearly 18 years and is currently the Library Director at USCF. “A few years back we did the entire Old Testament,” she said. Originally done on vinyl records and then cassette tapes, the service now uses a proprietary flash drive player that can hold 5 to 7 books, noted Nelson. The prison program has kept up, using modern digital editing and recording. Yet staff and offenders agree that while the work is enjoyable, the importance behind the program is what gives them the greatest satisfaction. “It’s always the one thing we can feel good about,” said Jensen. “We try to remind our offenders often how this work is meaningful. This program has impact.” Brown understands. She originally applied for what she thought was a library position at the UDC 18 months ago. Taking the position of program manager has been a godsend for her. “I didn’t know I was looking for it, but I’m so glad I found it.”...

06 Oct

Posted at 16:02h in Hot Topics
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Sitting in a Board of Pardons and Parole hearing room, they told their story: Three imprisoned women, discussing what led to their incarceration and their hopes for a better future. But this was no plea to a hearing officer in a bid to be released from custody. This was an attempt to keep others from following the same path. The three women spoke recently during a Public Awareness Panel at the Utah State Correctional Facility (USCF) in Salt Lake City. Organized by the Utah Department of Corrections, such panels allow incarcerated offenders to share the decisions that eventually brought them to prison. It also allows them to share the realities of life inside a fence line. They are held at both USCF and the Central Utah Correctional Facility (CUCF) in Gunnison. Their audience this day was a group of high school students from the Salt Lake City area. They sat respectfully as the three spoke in measured voices about sharing space with dozens of others on a daily basis and the challenges of maintaining family connections while missing milestones. “Being in prison is hard,” said Korie Wolfe. “It’s not easy to call my daughter on her 16th birthday and tell her I’ve been sentenced to five to life.    “There’s a better life out there.” Each told of their battles with substance abuse and the impact on their lives. Yet each also emphasized the hope they have that their future will be brighter. They also appealed to the students that if they were struggling with trauma, mental health or with some type of abuse to seek care. “Just know there is help out there for you guys,” said Wolfe. “Don’t be scared to ask for help.” The panels have been part of UDC programming for some time, though the program was put on hold during the pandemic. It stayed dormant in Northern Utah through the move from the Utah State Prison. It is now up and running at USCF, according to Lt. Courtney Whitney, who oversees scheduling for the program. “We hold them twice a month,” said Whitney. “We have room for more requests.” To schedule a panel at USCF, email UDC-USCFWardensOffice@utah.gov. For CUCF, email janderso@utah.gov or jasondavis@utah.gov....

14 Sep

Posted at 08:43h in Hot Topics
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The Utah Department of Corrections (UDC) is teaming up with Rasa Legal and Utah Support Advocates for Recovery Awareness (USARA) to help low-level offenders clear their records and get their lives back on track. As part of National Recovery Month, Rasa Legal is donating 30 free expungements and a Second Chance Fund is being created to cover government fees for 30 individuals who qualify. “Expunging a criminal record is a key part of getting a job,” said Rasa Legal founder and CEO Noella Sudbury. “Linking people to good employment opportunities is one of the most effective ways to keep people crime-free, and our communities safe.” The fund helps clear a major hurdle for those who can’t afford it. “Starting with a clear record can help people move forward with their lives without the limitations and stigma of their past,” said USARA executive director Mary Jo McMillen. When this happens, the benefits go far beyond the individual. People who get that fresh start are 63 percent more likely to get a job interview and make 22 percent more one year after expungement. “That’s what corrections is all about -- working together as a department, and with community partners, to produce the strongest outcomes possible for the community,” said UDC executive director Brian Redd. “Preparing someone to take advantage of a second chance is the ultimate goal." 14717 South Minuteman Drive, Draper, UT 84020 • telephone (385) 296-3197 • facsimile (801) 523-7523 Individuals with records who want to be considered to receive one of the 30 free expungements can use Rasa’s eligibility tool for free at rasa-legal.com by entering the code RECOVERY. Our organizations are also urging community members to donate to the Second Chance fund throughout the month of September at myusara.com/SecondChance/. ...

25 Aug

Posted at 20:36h in Featured, Hot Topics, Latest News, News Archives, Uncategorized
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The Utah Department of Corrections is collaborating with the Salt Lake City Mosquito Abatement District, the Salt Lake County Health Department, and the Utah Department of Health and Human Services to continue to implement preventive measures after detecting a West Nile virus-positive mosquito pool at the Utah State Correctional Facility (USCF) in Salt Lake City. "While this is considered routine detection and fairly common this time of year, our top priority is to protect both our staff and the incarcerated population from mosquito bites," said Brian Redd, executive director for the Utah Department of Corrections. "We are committed to education and prevention, providing free and accessible repellent. We're grateful for the strong collaboration with health and abatement officials, as well as for the funding received from the legislature last year, which enables us to effectively manage the mosquito population at USCF." Both incarcerated individuals and staff have been advised to take specific preventive measures for their safety. Mosquito repellent is accessible throughout the facilities, with monitoring by correctional staff. For those in restricted units, repellent will be provided during transitions to recreation yards. UDC is encouraging staff and incarcerated individuals to wear long sleeve shirts, long pants, and close-toed shoes to minimize the risk of mosquito bites. Medical personnel at the prison will be monitoring staff and inmates for symptoms of West Nile virus. “Our medical teams at the prison will be closely watching for signs of the virus and be prepared if there is an infection,” said Dr. Michelle Hofmann, executive medical director for the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, which now oversees medical services at the state prisons. Mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus are most active 30 minutes before sunset, one hour after sunset, and one hour after sunrise. Heightened vigilance has been advised during these peak times. “While we are not seeing an immediate threat from this early detection, given the prison’s close proximity to the mosquito habitat and potentially infected mosquitoes, we want to ensure that everyone continues to be vigilant,” said Dr. Ary Faraji with SLCMAD. “We truly appreciate UDC’s collaborative efforts over the past year, and we will continue our surveillance and control measures at the prison and direct coordination with stakeholders.” UDC has been coordinating closely with SLCMAD since the move to the new correctional facility in July 2022. One of the cornerstone measures implemented this year is larviciding. This involves treating water bodies with specialized insecticides to kill mosquito larvae before they mature. UDC staff have been trained by SLCMAD in carrying out this process, particularly focusing on storm drains throughout the facility. In addition to larviciding, SLCMAD has also set up mosquito traps on the grounds to monitor and control the adult mosquito population. SLCMAD is also identifying mosquito species and potential larval habitats. One effective strategy has been the elimination of standing water sources, such as puddles, ponds, and drainage areas, which are potential larval habitats for mosquitoes. You can learn more about the collaboration between UDC and SLCMAD here: https://corrections.utah.gov/2023/04/26/udc-provides-update-on-mosquito-abatement-efforts-at-uscf/ You can learn more about the West Nile virus here: https://epi.utah.gov/west-nile-virus/ Listen to our podcast with SLCMAD concerning mitigation efforts at USCF: https://youtu.be/X4n49Q9mnj0?si=H13YeqG3oCLwsDJg...

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