Reentry and Rehabilitation
Reentry planning
The Reentry & Rehabilitation Division believes reentry planning begins on day one of incarceration. The prospect of securing housing, employment, health care, and a myriad of tiny tasks such as obtaining vital documents can be daunting, particularly for those who have been out of the labor market for a number of years.
The Reentry Team prepares returning citizens with the skills, connections and opportunities the will need to successfully reenter their communities. Connecting returning citizens prior to their release with Workforce Services, Vocational Rehabilitation Services and other community stakeholders provides opportunities to access services while reducing barriers to successful reentry. The Reentry Team collaborates with the AP&P Reentry Team to help provide as many resources as possible to our returning citizens. The Programming Reentry Team also assists returning citizens in securing the following:
Medicaid provides comprehensive healthcare as well as behavioral health treatment, such as psycho-therapy and counseling, mental and behavioral health inpatient service, and substance use disorder treatment.
Vital documents such as birth certificates and social security cards.
Case management
Beginning on day one, returning citizens are assessed, “using a validated risk assessment, combined with the results of other evaluations, we can identify each incarcerated individual’s crucial academic, vocational, and therapeutic needs. Using this vital information, our skilled professionals develop a case action plan to reduce risk of recidivism while equipping returning citizens for successful reentry into the community.”
Reducing recidivism is a team effort that requires synchronizing individualized and targeted interventions at the right time and in the right amount. Our team measures success in three essential areas:
- Up-to-date and on-time criminogenic risk assessments.
- Up-to-date and high-quality case action plans.
- Time spent with individuals guiding them through the process of returning to communities successfully.
A brief overview of the main responsibilities of a case manager are the following:
- LS/RNR Assessments
- Case Action Plans
- Supervision Contacts
- Security/Behavioral Assessments
- Progress Reports & Special Attention memos for the Board of Pardons & Parole
The following information may be shared with the public by the CCM.
- Offender’s Name and Number
- Gender
- Age/Date of Birth
- Legal status (Inmate, Parolee, Probationer)
- Housing Location (e.g., community correctional center, county jail or general unit at the Utah State Correctional Facility or Central Utah Correctional Facility)
- Crime and Criminal History
- Offenses/Sentence Length
- Board Hearing or Rehearing date
- Parole, Termination, Expiration date
- Commitment Date, Committing Court, Case Number
Substance use treatment
The Reentry & Rehabilitation Division offers a comprehensive continuum of substance use services. Consistent with research, we use evidence-based as well as promising and best practices program curricula to offer a variety of programs. We utilize the American Society of Addiction Medicine guidelines (ASAM) to determine placement and discharge levels of care for clients with addiction and co-occurring conditions.
Our services include: Residential Substance Use Treatment (RSUT), Intensive Outpatient (IOP), and Spanish Speaking Intensive Outpatient services. All services are offered in both the men’s and women’s facilities.
Treatment types
Residential Substance Use Programs: These are our most intensive forms of treatment that utilize a therapeutic community model (TC) in conjunction with evidence-based therapeutic curricula. These programs are in separate housing units with a highly structured environment that emphasizes treatment.
- Achieve Recovery – Male Residential Substance Use Program @ USCF
- Elevate – Female Residential Substance Use Program @ USCF
- HOPE – Male Residential Substance Use Program @ CUCF
Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP): These programs are based in our general population housing units and consist of a minimum of nine hours of substance use programming weekly.
Spanish Speaking Intensive Outpatient Programs: This Program is tailored to our Spanish speaking population. It is based in our general population housing units and consists of a minimum of nine hours of substance use programming weekly.
Sex Offense Treatment Program
Nearly one-third of the incarcerated individuals in Utah’s prison system are serving time for a sexual offense. The Department strives to treat persons who sexually offend (PSO’s) through effective treatment interventions based on their individual risk factors that brought them to the attention of the Courts and the Department of Corrections.
The Department’s Sex Offense Treatment Program (SOTP) is primarily housed at the Utah State Correctional Facility in SLC. It is designed to last 15-24 months depending on the PSO’s identified risk factors and overall risk level. Upon incarceration, the PSO is assessed on their willingness to participate if the Board of Pardons and Parole orders sex offense-specific treatment. Their response to this treatability assessment determines where on the tracking list they fall. As of Spring 2021, PSO’s will receive an evaluation prior to their original hearing with the Board of Pardons and Parole and the intensity and comprehensiveness of this evaluation depends on their level of risk, but will include various measures that are evidence based for this population. The evaluation will specifically provide risk estimates to the Board of Pardons and Parole as well as treatment recommendations. These recommendations could include various forms of community-based treatment or treatment while incarcerated. These recommendations will take into account the PSO’s risk factors identified through the assessment process and may look different between PSO’s as it is a complex process. Once the Board sets a rehearing date and orders sex offense-specific treatment, the PSO will be enrolled no sooner than 24 months prior to their projected rehearing date, barring any exigent circumstances. This affords the PSO adequate time to be moved to the appropriate treatment building and enrolled.
SOTP is based on evidence-based practice principles centered on cognitive/behavioral therapy with a strong relapse-prevention component. We focus on the top 8 criminogenic risk factors for all PSO’s in addition to identifying the risk factors specific to sexual offending present for each individual PSO. All therapists providing treatment are licensed mental-health professionals with specialized training in sex offense-specific treatment or they are training under the direct supervision of a licensed mental health professional. PSO’s participating in treatment are expected to achieve satisfactory progress intellectually and emotionally, which is continuously evaluated during their treatment episode.
Progress is measured by observable changes — not simply completion of assignments or time spent in therapy. Progress is based on how hard the PSO works, how motivated they are, and their willingness to incorporate changes freely to show commitment toward rehabilitation without being defensive. PSO’s participate in group therapy once or twice a week, depending on the program, and also receive individual therapy to further understand the treatment concepts learned in group. They can complete workbooks and daily journals to demonstrate their internalization of the skills they learn. They are expected to engage in healthy interactions with peers and staff as they accept and display a commitment to change and seek to improve and excel in new approaches to healthy living. Clinical mental-health staff are also available to work with program participants as requested if the PSO’s needs fall outside the scope of the sex offense treatment program.
Behaviors are observed on housing units and by reviewing disciplinary actions or behavioral patterns. This helps staff distinguish a consistent, healthy lifestyle from a covert or dual lifestyle fraught with continued disrespect for rules and others. PSO’s participate in assessments to receive feedback regarding patterns of arousal, thinking, and general behavior. The general notion is to treat PSO’s with respect while holding them accountable. Staff seek out the most current literature and research into treatment practices to accurately assess risk and needs and help PSO’s make positive, lasting changes.
Therapy consists of:
- Group psychotherapy
- Psycho-educational classes
- Individual Therapy based on the PSO’s skill and risk level
Psycho-educational courses:
Available prior to and during program enrollment.
- Treatment orientation
- Pre-treatment program (6 phases made up of psychoeducational classes like thinking errors and victim empathy)
- Anger management (optional)
- Parenting (optional)
- Relapse prevention (required – core part of the current program)
- Human Sexuality (optional)
Primary areas of change include:
- Accountability
- General empathy
- Pro–social attitudes
- Adequate coping skills/styles
- Adequate social skills
- Positive self-esteem
- Control over impulses
- Emotional Regulation/Distress Tolerance
- Control over substance use
- Normative sexual views/interests
- Understanding risk factors
- Quality of self-management plans
- Quality of supports
- Quality of release plans
- Commitment to maintenance
Process for enrolling in the program
Due to demand coupled with a lack of resources, the Department has to be selective and work only with PSO’s who are adequately committed to genuine change through a process of investment, observation, assessment and confrontation that helps them build accountability while developing respect for others — including themselves.
Again, all individuals sentenced to prison for a sex offense (whether a new commitment or a parole violator) receive a treatability assessment. The PSO’s name and results are then placed on the Department’s Sex Offense Treatment Program tracking list. Their response dictates their placement on the tracking list. They can be placed in the SOTP at the Utah State Correctional Facility in SLC, in a treatment program at the Central Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison, or at the San Juan, Sanpete or Kane County Jails through the prison’s Jail Contracting Program.
PSO’s are placed in treatment based on several factors:
- Amenability to treatment
- Level 3 privilege classification or higher
- Board of Pardons and Parole order indicating they want the PSO to be in treatment while incarcerated
- Availability of a treatment slot
- Priority classification from the Board of Pardons indicating the PSO would likely parole in the event of satisfactory treatment progress
Not every individual who has committed a sex offense will be eligible for treatment. Some reasons for exclusion include:
- No possibility of parole
- Poor motivation
- Violating institutional rules
- Lack of desire for treatment
- Disciplinary measures and write-ups
- Test results that suggest incompatibility with treatment
PSO’s eligible for treatment can lose their parole dates for:
- Failure to successfully participate
- Refusal to participate
- Removing one’s self from treatment
- Being removed by staff from treatment
Education
Incarcerated Individuals, on average, are less educated than the general population. Many lack basic literacy, a high school diploma or equivalent, and the occupational skills necessary to secure a job. Moreover, having a felony conviction can be a significant barrier to finding employment after prison. One proven strategy for enhancing successful reentry is to provide education to inmates while incarcerated so they have the knowledge, training, and skills to support a successful return to their communities. The Reentry & Rehabilitation Division provides these opportunities, providing literacy assessments and interventions, adult education, higher education, and an array of technical college education.
Adult Education
The Reentry & Rehabilitation division partners with the Utah State Board of Education’s Utah Adult Education program to provide adult education services. Adult education programs proactively address each student’s basic literacy and secondary credential needs, thereby affording students opportunities for post-secondary training, employment, and personal success. Programs provide quality instruction and continuity of services across the state; ensuring students are afforded an educational experience that is comparable in intensity and rigor to a traditional K-12 high school program.
Higher Education
Salt Lake Community College’s (SLCC) Prison Education Program was piloted in the spring of 2017 with funding from the Utah State Legislature. All classes are taught by SLCC faculty or adjuncts in alignment with SLCC standards for excellence. The program provides inmates a chance to earn college credits and work towards a General Studies Associates Degree. All classes count towards this goal, and every credit earned inside the prison is transferable anywhere in the state. Obtaining a higher education facilitates returning citizens with continued training or educational opportunities, which translates into a documented impact on reduced recidivism rates and taxpayer savings.
The University of Utah’s Utah Prison Education Program (UPEP) provides on-site college curriculum to two groups of students incarcerated in the Utah State Correctional Facility.
Technical College Certifications
The Reentry & Rehabilitation Division provides training opportunities through intergovernmental agreements with Davis Technical College for men and women in the Utah State Correctional Facility and Snow College for men only housed in the Central Utah Correctional Facility (CUCF is a male-only facility). Reentry & Rehabilitation also contracts technical college education services for male students in the Duchesne County Jail through Uintah Basin Technical College.
UDC Prison Education Programs
The Utah Department of Corrections (UDC) seeks to establish partnerships with eligible education institutions willing to create and maintain Prison Education Programs (PEP) at designated UDC facilities. Per 34 CFR § 668.236, following the official application and approval process, these PEPs would have access to Federal Pell funding for all eligible incarcerated students. We invite any education institution interested in creating a PEP and providing education services within a UDC facility or partnering county jail in Utah to submit a PEP application or reach out with additional questions.
UDC is specifically interested in expanding education services to provide additional technical certificates within partnering county jails and associate’s and bachelor’s degree options at the Salt Lake and Gunnison facilities and county partners. You can find the Prison Education Program Application here.
Vocational programs
The Department of Corrections Reentry and Rehabilitation Division works with several applied technology colleges to certify inmates in vocational trades.
At the Utah State Prison, male inmates may earn certificates in seven areas: Automotive Technology; Machinist Technician; Maintenance Technician; Welding Technology; Business Technology; and Culinary Arts. Female inmates may earn certificates in two programs; Culinary Arts and Business Technology.
At the Central Utah Correctional Facility, certificates are offered in Culinary Arts and Building Trades.
At the Duchesne County Jail, certificates are offered in Residential Construction.
The prison’s telephone surcharge fees — paid by inmate families and friends who accept their collect calls — help support these programs. However, offenders often take out student loans in order to enroll in vocational trades. Due to the fact the offender does not have a significant source of income while incarcerated, he or she is given adequate time post-release to repay any debt incurred. After an offender is “off paper” (no longer under the department’s purview in either the prison or on parole status), that individual has three years to repay the student loans, meaning the State and its taxpayers are not shouldering the costs of post-secondary education.
Libraries
The purpose of libraries is to provide high quality library services and materials that satisfy the educational, therapeutic and recreational needs of our inmate patrons. Specifically, our goals are to:
- Provide a diverse and updated collection of reference and reading materials.
- Give each person the opportunity to access the library once a week.
- Create an environment where our patrons will want to become life-long library users.
- Create partnerships with prison programs to ensure our patrons’ needs are met.
There are five libraries at the Salt Lake City site that directly serve over 2,000 inmate patrons, and indirectly provide services for over 500 inmates in restrictive housing. Our libraries function like small public libraries. There are currently three full-time employee positions in library services; a Library Director and two Librarian I positions.
During the majority of FY 2021 our libraries were closed due to Covid-19. Starting in late spring, we were slowly able to reopen with all libraries back in operation in June 2021. While our libraries were closed, we shifted our focus and began securing donations so we could deliver boxes of books to the housing units. During the year the libraries were closed, we delivered over 26,000 books. In the short time we were open at the end of the year, over 8,500 items were loaned and there were almost 2,500 visits to our libraries.
We are dedicated to providing the best Library Services we can, even in unusual circumstances, given our resources. We know that our services make a difference for inmates as well as stage. We are committed to supporting the Reentry & Rehabilitation Vision in “helping people gain the necessary skills and support to successfully exit the criminal justice system.”
There is one library at CUCF with one Librarian. CUCF services approximately 1600-1700 inmates. CUCF has the main library to which over 700 incarcerated individuals have access and provides services to the 400 others in Restrictive Housing and in Receiving and Orientation units. The remaining housing units have access to the library on the weekend through the unit.
Reading for the Blind Program
The Reading for the Blind Program gives inmates the opportunity to produce free audio books for blind and disabled library patrons living in Utah and across the United States. In partnership with the Utah State Library’s Program for the Blind and Disabled, we record, edit, and finalize an average of 20 projects per month, including books, magazines, LDS literature, and voting materials. We also repair an average of 56 digital audio book players per month, which allow qualifying patrons to access and listen to government-issued audio materials. Inmates employed by the Reading for the Blind program contribute over 6,000 total employee hours per State Fiscal Quarter.
As a network library for the National Library Service, the Reading for the Blind program also contributes projects to BARD (Braille and Audio Reading Database), and completes 60 commercial audiobook conversions per month, increasing the NLS capacity to produce free content for qualifying patrons on a national scale.
Greenhouse
The goal of the Nursery program has always been, first and foremost, to develop and advance successful individuals who can contribute to and build a community. The primary tool used to accomplish our mission is to provide inmates a well-rounded education in the wide field of horticulture practices. In addition to standard garden and greenhouse training, this program has a further intent to promote conservation, advance scientific knowledge, build an atmosphere of teamwork, and mutual respect among individuals, and prepare inmates to be ambassadors for the horticulture discipline when released from prison.
We strive to build connections and partnerships within the broader community and share what we are doing and learning. Our inmates earn a 6500 hour nationally recognized horticulture apprenticeship and are prepared to be good stewards of our natural and cultural resources. The green initiatives that we have implemented here at the prison make us more sustainable and reduce our ecological impact, but also help provide real rehabilitative outcomes for individuals who participate. One can’t help but see the social and environmental benefits that occur when individuals engage with and embrace the living world around them. This is true nature based therapy.
It has been gratifying for all involved to see the program at the Nursery mature and expand as more and more inmates are given the privilege of participating. As we grow, they grow, and our whole community does as well.
Horticulture Program
The primary goal of the horticulture program is to develop individuals to successfully contribute to and build better communities. To accomplish this goal, the Reentry & Rehabilitation Division provides a well-rounded, nationally recognized horticulture education through the Utah Department of Labor’s Horticulture Apprenticeships Program. Our individuals earn 6500 apprenticeship hours, receiving a horticulture certification as well as an awareness of how to be good stewards of our natural and cultural resources. In addition to providing recognized certifications, the program promotes conservation, advances scientific knowledge, builds an atmosphere of teamwork and mutual respect among individuals, and prepares incarcerated individuals to be ambassadors for the horticulture discipline when released from prison.
We strive to build connections and partnerships within the broader community and share what we are doing and learning. The partnership includes:
- Division of Oil
- Gas and Mining
- Bureau of Mine Reclamation
- South West Monarch Study Group
- Tracy Aviary
- Hidden Hollow Farms
- Rare Plant Conservation
- Millcreek City
- South Salt Lake and Salt Lake City Public Land and Trails
- Wasatch Community Garden
- Wild Utah Project
- and The Hogle Zoo
The green initiatives that we have implemented here at the prison make us more sustainable and reduce our ecological impact while also helping to provide rehabilitative opportunities for individuals who participate. One can’t help but see the social and environmental benefits that occur when individuals engage with and embrace the living world around them. This is true nature based therapy.
Contact for Native Americans and Foreign Nationals
The Reentry & Rehabilitation Division employs a Case Worker II posted within the facility to provide direct support to Native Americans and foreign nationals in our custody. This includes ensuring that the department observes inmates’ First Amendment rights related to freedom of religion, maintains compliance with the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, as well as facilitating incarcerated foreign nationals communication and contact with the respective Consulate as afforded them per the Vienna Convention.
The Case Worker II acts as the American Indian/Alaskan Native on site liaison and advises the department on matters related to American Indian culture within the real of corrections. The Case Worker II is the point of contact for American Indian offenders and their families, and is the liaison between offender population and the tribal councils. The Case Worker II facilitates opportunities to propose, collaborate, and welcome Native community partners interested in supporting or providing religious and cultural programs.
The Case Worker II coordinates with Consulate Representatives to facilitate consulate-to-inmate communications and acts as a guide for navigating our judicial system as well as UDC processes and policies.
Volunteer-led programs
How to volunteer
- Be at least 21 years old
- Pass a background check
- Possess a valid state-issued form of ID
- Meet attendance/performance commitments
- Abide by the Volunteer Service Agreement, including a code of ethics
- Receive no compensation for services
- Complete Department-provided training, renewed annually
- Follow Department policies, procedures, rules & regulations
- Agree to pass through a metal detector
For more information about volunteer opportunities with the Utah Department of Corrections, please contact us.
Utahns interested in volunteering at the prisons must meet the following minimum requirements and submit this Volunteer Questionnaire.
Reentry & Rehabilitation/Volunteer Services
801-522-7053
E-mail: [email protected]
A variety of programs offered at the state’s two prisons rely on volunteer help, including the following:
- Religious services
- Internships (cultural diversity, cultural awareness)
- Education (tutors)
- Library
- Alcoholics/Narcotics Anonymous
- Veterans
- YPREP (Your Parole Requires Extensive Preparation, class that prepare female offenders for release)
- Music education
- Transition mentoring
- Craft projects
Dozens of groups volunteer at the prison, including the following:
- Alcoholics Anonymous, Utah Chapter
- Assembly of God
- True Vine Baptist
- Canines With A Cause
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Calvary Baptist Church
- Veteran Affairs Center
- United Way of Utah County
- Utah Valley University
Service projects
Many Utahns — from community organizations to family groups — contact the Utah Department of Corrections to inquire about service project opportunities. Thanks for your compassion and generosity!
Listed below are current needs for those looking for a service project to benefit inmates.
Current needs:
- Qurans
- Mala beads (no metal, plastic only)
- Kufi (white or black only)
- Rosary (white or black only, no metal, plastic only)
- Small wooden cross necklace (necklace must be a thin string only)
Religious services
The Department of Corrections is able to meet the spiritual needs of inmates while maintaining a separation of church and state. There are more than two dozen religious affiliations claimed by inmates in state custody. To meet their spiritual needs, volunteers oversee a variety of activities, programs, scripture study and educational courses, prayer and worship services. Volunteers also provide religious-based addiction recovery groups, (LDS) Family Home Evening group, (Native American) Sweat Lodge and Pipe Ceremonies, and Sidda Yoga Meditation.
Chaplains, who are part-time employees of the Department, provide offenders with ecclesiastical counseling and non-denominational services. They assist both staff and offenders with crisis interviews and during personal and family trials. Chaplains are a resource for religious knowledge for staff, offenders, and volunteers. They also maintain ongoing relationships with community religious leaders; have direct contact with offenders through consultations, programs, and service; evaluate needs of offenders and decide the best sources available to meet those needs; answer questions regarding religious programs (services, symbols, reading materials); and are a source for mediation (emergencies, deaths, fights, and injuries) for staff and inmates.
Marriage Services
Marriages are run through our Religious/Volunteer Services Office. Offenders are required to send a written request to the Religious/Volunteer Services. Once the letter is received, the offender will receive documents to start the process.
For more information regarding marriage services at USCF (Salt Lake City Facility), contact the Religious/Volunteer services office at (801)-522-7053.
For more information regarding marriage services at CUCF (Gunnison Facility), contact the Religious/Volunteer services office at (435)-528-6237.