UDC News

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

The Utah Department of Corrections is warning visitors not to bring contraband to its facilities after four were arrested in eight days for attempting to pass drugs to inmates. In one of the more brazen cases, an incarcerated offender made a hole in the plexiglass barrier during an attempt to receive an illegal substance from a visitor. That inmate, Kevin

It looked like a courtroom, complete with flags and the state seal.  There was a judge, prosecutors and a defense attorney. The defendant was brought in to face charges. It featured real pleas and real sentences. Yet those facing incarceration didn’t have to wait to be transferred to prison. They were already there. The courtroom had come to them. For

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

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

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

Jennifer Blau of the Utah Department of Corrections has been honored with the Governor’s Award for Excellence for her efforts as a supervisor of pre-sentence investigation writers. Gov. Spencer Cox presented Blau and 25 other state employees with the award during a ceremony at the Governor’s Mansion recently. The awards are an annual event designed to recognize the contributions of

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

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

The Utah Department of Corrections held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Timpanogos Community Treatment Center on Thursday, Sept. 28. Attended by state and local elected officials, media representatives and UDC employees, the ceremony marked the completion of construction and the readiness to begin operations at the center. “It’s the first of it’s kind for UDC in Utah County,” said Brian Redd,