The 2023 Spring Quarterly Commissary Bags are now available from the Utah Department of Corrections’ commissary. You can find more details about the program here. Once on the site, enter the number of the incarcerated individual or use the search function to find the person by name. From there, you can compile a commissary bag. Please complete your order before March 19, 2023. For questions regarding the process, please reach out to customer service at 469-936-0214.   Communications Office, March 9, 2023...

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWuT7dvIz-U[/embedyt] The Utah Department of Corrections (UDC) provided an update today regarding an in-depth, ongoing review of safety and security at the Utah State Correctional Facility (USCF) in Salt Lake City. UDC noted several areas where improvements have already been made, and outlined short-term and long-term goals to ensure safety and security. “The safety of our staff and those we supervise is paramount,” said Brian Nielson, executive director with the Utah Department of Corrections. “We will continue to closely review our operations, ensure process improvements, and be diligent in our efforts to accomplish our Department’s mission. I cannot express in words how passionate, dedicated, and talented our team is in ensuring the safety of our operations and helping individuals find success.” The Department continues to review all areas of USCF. Short-term goals include improving facility infrastructure and security devices, increasing training, focusing on staff wellness, expanding programming, and focusing on gang interventions. Long-term goals include training and certifying staff in security audit practices. The Department will also work to identify clear incident reduction tracking mechanisms. And finally, we will continue to emphasize recruitment in order to eliminate mandatory overtime. Immediate areas of note include enhancements to the Antelope Facility, which is a restricted housing facility at USCF. Areas of improvement within this facility include addressing any blind spots, hiring additional control point operators, and identifying areas for improved communications....

We're excited to announce the appointment of Irv Hale as the Deputy Director for Adult Probation and Parole. Irv most recently served as the Region Chief for AP&P in Region IV. He began his career with the Department in 1990 at the Draper prison as a Correctional Officer. He worked in several areas, particularly South Point, and was promoted to Sergeant, where he served in internal and external security for two years. In 1997, Irv accepted the position of Adult Probation and Parole Agent in the Provo office. He started in the intake unit for two years and then worked as an Agent supervising a caseload for the next three years. Irv was assigned as a Field Training Officer, and one year later he was promoted to supervisor. As a supervisor he supervised probation, parole, sex offender, and intake teams. During this time Irv took advantage of the Department’s educational reimbursement program and graduated from UVU with a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice. In 2017, Irv was promoted to Assistant Regional Administrator in Region III and served as the Director of the Orange Street Community Correctional Center and later worked in the main Fremont office of Region III supervising the parole and support staff teams....

Please join us in welcoming Armanda Mercado as the new Deputy Director of Utah Correctional Industries (UCI). Mercado began her career with Corrections in 2009 as an intern with the Sex Offender and Kidnap Registry office, assisting with registrations and the public database. She transferred to UCI in 2014 as an internal auditor and later promoted to Operations Manager, Correctional Administrator II, and Audit Manager. She also served as UDC’s PPE Quartermaster during the COVID-19 outbreak. Mercado graduated from the University of Utah with Bachelor’s Degrees in Psychology and Social Work. She later completed a Master’s Degree in Criminal Science and an emphasis in Corrections from Weber State University. She is a licensed interpreter and lead prison auditor for the Federal Bureau of Justice Assistance. The deputy director position opened when Shane Welch was appointed UCI Director, after former director Maria Shirey became an Assistant Deputy Executive Director for UDC....

Agents from the Utah Department of Corrections’ Division of Adult Probation and Parole have located a missing juvenile girl from Arizona, arresting a Utah man in the process. On Jan. 31, AP&P agents received information from Arizona involving a missing girl and a possible connection to Jordan Sorenson, who was convicted in June 2020 of first-degree felony aggravated sexual extortion of an adult. He is on probation with AP&P and is listed on Utah’s sex offender registry. Agents began an investigation in coordination with the Utah Attorney General’s human trafficking unit. Sorenson was located at his work and transported to his residence in West Valley. Agents then searched the home, locating the missing juvenile in the basement. “Thanks to the quick actions of our agents and cooperation with the Attorney General's investigators and West Valley City Police Department, this young woman was found safe,” said Dan Blanchard, director of AP&P. “This is one of the many roles our agents take every day to help keep our communities safe. We are very grateful for the response and professionalism of these officers. Agents act on a number of tips every day, and in this situation they helped to locate this girl." Blanchard added that Arizona officials have been informed the juvenile was found safe and turned over to the care of a victim’s advocate from the Attorney General’s office. “We are grateful for the opportunity to assist AP&P and Arizona authorities in this case, and relieved the victim is now in a safe place," said Richard Piatt, communications director with the Utah Attorney General's office. "It is a priority for our office to utilize our Secure Strike Force to assist minors and to prosecute the growing number of human traffickers who are out there. These types of crimes are becoming more frequent, and we all need to continue to work together to combat these crimes.” In addition to probation violations for Sorenson, there is an ongoing investigation of new criminal charges with the AG's human trafficking unit....

Randall Honey has been selected as the new Inmate Placement Program Director at the Utah Department of Corrections. Honey began his career in 2004, working in the Uinta facility at the now-closed Utah State Prison in Draper. He promoted to sergeant, moved to the Oquirrh facility, and later became the Security Threat Group Intelligence Coordinator for the Draper facility. In 2013, Honey was promoted to lieutenant and worked in Wasatch and Transportation. In 2016, he became a captain, where he spent six years working as Shift Commander, Captain of Uinta 3, and Captain of IPP. Honey became a Deputy Warden last year and has been serving in that capacity with IPP. The director position opened when Dan Chesnut was appointed Director of Prison Operations....

The 2022 Holiday Gift Bags are now available from the Utah Department of Corrections’ commissary. You can find more details about the program here. This year, the packages consist of food items only. Once on the site, enter the number of the incarcerated individual or use the search function to find the person by name. From there, you can compile a holiday package. For questions regarding the process, please reach out to customer service at 469-936-0214.   Communications Office, Nov. 15, 2022...

The Utah Department of Corrections shares responses to common questions as staff and incarcerated individuals settle in at the new Utah State Correctional Facility. The first few items are ongoing concerns, while latter items are concerns that have been addressed and resolved. ONGOING FOOD: TIMING With moving to the new facility, we have introduced a new pattern for meals for many incarcerated individuals. Previously, most meals were provided in the section, whereas now many eat together in a dining hall setting. We remain positive that this is a move in the right direction in providing opportunities for individuals to prepare to successfully reenter their communities, since this will more closely mirror everyday life. We had inmates and staff training in the USCF culinary for months before it opened to learn how the new equipment operates, but we still have some kinks to work out. With the staffing shortage and time it takes to learn new equipment, we have been presented with some short term concerns, including individuals receiving meals at off hours or in too short a period of time. Our team is working to address the logistical issues, and with each day the process continues to improve. Thank you for your patience. There have been questions about the new food trays. We assure you that you are getting the same amount of food at USCF as you were at USP. The food trays are designed differently, but they hold the same amount of food. Because the new food trays are deeper, it appears you are receiving less food. Again, we assure you that you are not. PHONES There are two to three phones in each section that are readily available for use. We are actively exploring options for what it would require to add additional phones. In the coming months, we also look forward to introducing significant increases in opportunities for communications through our tablet program and through kiosks installed in the sections where individuals can order commissary, request medical services, submit concerns through our grievance process and more. MOSQUITOES The Utah Department of Corrections is working with the SLC Mosquito Abatement District and has already begun to implement safe and effective abatement measures. In addition to facility-wide abatement approaches, we are exploring what can be done to help on a more individualized basis, including options for repellant for incarcerated individuals; however, safety and security takes precedence and many of the repellants are extremely flammable. See latest update here: https://corrections.utah.gov/2022/10/24/whats-going-on-with-mosquitoes/ MEDICAL  Unrelated to the move, the UDC transitioned to a new medical records system and is working to address technical difficulties. See more here. COMMISSARY Due to supply-chain issues and a change in vendors, commissary has been dealing with shortages in certain items. However, officials report that basic hygiene items such as soap and toothpaste have always been available, though certain brands may have been out-of-stock. The ordering process is now conducted through phones, tablets and electronic ordering forms. This allows for a live list of items that are actually available so individuals won’t have to wait to hear whether their order was able to be fulfilled. We understand that this process is different from the paper process at the former prison, and we appreciate the patience of those incarcerated in adapting. In the coming weeks, you can anticipate that items that have been unavailable – including electronics, shoes, utensils and clothing – will be back in stock.   OTHER FAQS ✅  Addressed: There simply aren't enough employees to safely supervise everyone While we are at critical staffing levels, our operations team has worked diligently to ensure that the current staffing pattern can manage the safety and security of our operations.  We are actively recruiting, and anyone that is interested can visit this link https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/utah?department%5B0%5D=410%20Department%20of%20Corrections&sort=PositionTitle%7CAscending or contact our recruiter directly at 385-208-5255.  ✅  Addressed: The laundry situation is not working well Laundry services are provided once a week. Incarcerated individuals can send both state and personal clothing as well as sheets and blankets to be laundered. Laundry Services provide offenders with two laundry bags to separate colors and whites to ensure personal clothing is not ruined. In addition to laundry services, offenders are provided a monthly Direct Exchange for sheets and blankets. See latest update here: https://corrections.utah.gov/2022/10/24/why-changes-to-the-laundry/ ✅  Addressed: Windows and skylights are leaking water There have been small, unforeseen construction issues with moving into a brand new facility. Our facilities team has been responsive and nimble at addressing any concerns. ✅  Addressed: Not enough outdoor time provided compared to Draper Out-of-cell times and recreational yard times are impacted by multiple factors, including time of year. For example, as daylight hours shorten in winter months, so must access to the recreational yards based on visibility provided by daylight hours. Each individual’s experience may differ based on privilege matrix levels, punitive isolation, COVID protocols, or temporary restriction orders. However, in most cases the yard time will be comparable or more. Most inmates housed at USCF have had a significant increase in access to small yards or courtyards. ✅  Addressed: Gang violence, gang members are not being separated We primarily house based on an individual's behavior with consideration for programming, medical, bed space, safety needs, etc. Should an individual have a safety concern, they can notify the officer on their housing unit at any time.  The following newsletter was distributed to all incarcerated individuals toward the end of August at USCF and CUCF:  English version: https://corrections.utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Newsletter-to-Inmates__08.25.22.pdf Spanish version: https://corrections.utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Inmate-Newsletter-Spanish-08.29.pdf     Updated: 10/27/2022 Published: 08/18/2022...

With support from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Department of Government Operations (DGO)/Division of Technology Services (DTS); the Utah Department of Corrections (UDC) completed a comprehensive medical records review Thursday. This effort included an assessment and update of every incomplete medical record that came through during a transition to a new Electronic Healthcare Records System (EHRS), along with a return to more normal operations in regards to the distribution of medications within correctional facilities. “As we continue to reconcile the new with our operations, we feel that we have turned a corner in regards to prescription distribution,” said Brian Nielson, executive director for the UDC. “The filling and distribution of medications is at a more manageable level. I cannot express enough gratitude for our team members and partner organizations who have been here around the clock to assist with these efforts.” In regards to actual prescriptions being filled, just a little over a week ago, there were more than 8,000 prescriptions in the queue to be refilled. As of Thursday morning, Sept. 1, that number has plummeted to 1,300. On a typical day – prior to migration – UDC had 1,000 prescriptions to fill. “Following migration to the new system, many of the 17,000-plus active prescriptions that we manage needed to be reviewed,” said Nielson. “As we worked with our contracted EHRS to resolve the issues, it became apparent that each prescription would need to be analyzed and, in many cases, reentered into the system. At this time, all of those records have been reviewed.” DHHS provided a total of 54 medical representatives, including registered nurses, physicians, advanced practice nurses, pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians. As UDC returns to more normal operations in regards to the distribution of prescriptions, DHHS will provide more limited ongoing support as co-leads of an Electronic Health Record Response Team. “I’ve been proud to participate alongside our team in this effort,” said Dr. Michelle Hofmann, executive medical director for DHHS. “We will leverage this situation as an opportunity to optimize the performance of the Electronic Health Records database and help ensure it aids providers in improving the care of patients in the Utah prison system.” Moving forward, UDC will continue to work closely with the EHRS provider (Fusion), the Governor’s Office, DGO, DTS, and DHHS on overall process management. View the entire press release here.   ...

The Utah Department of Corrections was slated in February to migrate to a new electronic records system that will improve operations overall; however due to delays with the contractor, the data migration began during the move to the new prison. We are now experiencing some technical challenges with that transition. Our medical team is working around the clock to address these concerns. Generally speaking, if an incarcerated individual has an urgent medical concern they can notify the officer in their housing section. If an incarcerated individual needs to be seen by medical or have a prescription filled, then they can submit a health care request form (available on their housing unit) to be seen.  On Sunday, August 21, the Utah Department of Corrections shared an update via Zoom regarding technical challenges we have experienced moving to a new medical records management system. You can see the video here: [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAVBhVFXCik[/embedyt]       Updated: 08/22/22  Originally posted: 08/18/2022...

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