03 Mar

Posted at 13:27h in drug-use-programs, Programming
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The Con-Quest program is housed in the Promontory Facility at the Utah State Prison and can accommodate 400 inmates. Inmates with substance dependence or abuse issues who have treatment listed among their top priorities in a Case Action Plan are eligible to participate in the program. Con-Quest is based on a therapeutic community model and is focused on teaching responsible living habits to enable inmates to successfully re-entry society. Inmates, called residents while in the program, practice and live those principles on a daily basis, with daily responsibilities they are expected to perform. A key aspect of the program is accountability, and residents are taught to hold each other accountable to their actions, behaviors and attitudes. While in Con-Quest, residents engage in individual and group therapy with licensed clinicians. They also participate in behavioral modification classes and are able to participate in educational and vocational training programs designed to enhance employment skills. Residents are expected to be productively engaged 40 hours per week in jobs, classes or programs. Residents spend a minimum of 12 months in the program....

03 Mar

Posted at 13:26h in Programming
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The Department works with several applied technology colleges to certify inmates in vocational trades. Those colleges are: Davis Technical College, Uintah Basin Technical College, and Snow College. 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. The prison's telephone surcharge fees — paid by inmate families and friends who accept their collect calls — help support this program. 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....

03 Mar

Posted at 13:20h in Programming
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There are more than two dozen religious practices represented among Utah's prison population. To meet the spiritual needs of inmates, Corrections works with volunteers who oversee activities, programs and religious services. The Department employs part-time chaplains to provide ecclesiastical counseling and non-denominational services. Arrange a marriage ceremony Marriages are run through our Religious/Volunteer Services Office. Offenders are required to send a written request to Religious/Volunteer Services. Once the written request is received the offender will receive documents to start the process. For more information contact Religious/Volunteer Services: Salt Lake City office at 801-576-7817. Gunnison office at 435-528-6220....

03 Mar

Posted at 13:19h in Programming
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This program, launched in 1988, employs offenders at a modest wage to make audio recordings of books for the visually impaired. Reading for the Blind is part of a broader organization — the Program for the Blind and Physically Handicapped of the Utah State Library Division, which serves patrons both locally and nationally. The program is housed in a donated facility that has reading rooms and editing stations equipped with tape duplication machines. Reading for the Blind employees read hundreds of books each year, which are then added to the State Library's collection. Some offenders continue volunteering to read books for this program at the Utah State Library even after they are released from prison....

03 Mar

Posted at 13:06h in Programming
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In addition to formal education, there are other tools offenders often need in order to change their lifestyles and adopt an outlook more conducive to long-term success. Life skills courses include Thinking for a Change, Communication, Computer Literacy, Relationships, Relapse Prevention, Career Power, Financial Literacy, Anger Management, Parenting, Impact of Crime on Victims, Domestic Violence, Victim Empathy, and Thinking Errors. Initial assessments may identify course s an inmate needs to overcome specific challenges. Inmates also may seek to enroll in non-required courses, provided space is available....

03 Mar

Posted at 12:59h in Programming
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Most offenders who are sent to prison have less than a high-school education. The Utah Department of Corrections offers high school education through partnerships with local school districts. The Canyons School District operates the South Park Academy at the Utah State Prison, while the South Sanpete School District operates the Central Academy at the Central Utah Correctional Facility. The Department offers vocational training through partnerships with the Davis Technical College; Snow College; and the Uintah Basin Technical College. Inmates also may take advantage of numerous life-skills and literacy classes taught by volunteers and community organizations. Inmates also may enroll in distance-learning programs, receiving coursework materials through the U.S. Mail. Such programs provide an opportunity for inmates to earn advanced degrees. These programs are not funded by the State, but several non-profit organizations and private entities offer tuition help....

03 Mar

Posted at 12:58h in Programming
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While in Receiving and Orientation, inmates are monitored and take various assessments to determine their specific needs. That information is used to develop a Case Action Plan that outlines the inmate's educational, program and treatment needs and to set goals for the inmate during his or her incarceration. Progress and accomplishments are noted in the inmate's file, which is reviewed by the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole....

25 Feb

Posted at 13:54h in Latest News
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There are gingerbread houses. Then there are gingerbread stories. These are the latter. Two massive gingerbread houses were created by inmates in the Timpanogos Womens Facility’s culinary program. Each reflected a story – one of toys and one of the season. The theme for the first house was based on the quartet of “Toy Story” movies. It featured characters from the films, including Woody, Buzz and Jessie. The characters were disbursed around an exquisitely detailed carnival-like setting similar to one featured in “Toy Story 4.” The second was a gingerbread creche. It highlighted a manger surrounded by wise men and animals, detailed down to small pots and jars. The creations were shown to the public at the Festival of Trees....

25 Feb

Posted at 13:13h in Latest News
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Well, there’s the slobber. It’s just everywhere. “There’s no getting away from it,” said Brian Asay, a K-9 sergeant with the Utah Department of Corrections. “You just have to accept it.” For Asay (pronounced A-see), that completes the list of drawbacks to working with Anubis, his super sniffing, four-legged bundle of energy. Anubis is one of a number of canines working for the UDC at the state’s two prison sites. The two make a good team. A very good team. They were named to the top pair for narcotic searches at a recent K-9 trials competition in Las Vegas. Their success, and that of fellow UDC canine teams, does more than provide bragging rights for Corrections. Such events offer challenges that law enforcement agencies have previously faced. The framework offers training for the teams that can be applied on the job. “All scenarios are based on real deployments,” said Asay. “They expose the dogs to different situations. It’s a competition, but it’s real.” And the better UDC teams do in these trials, the better they become in stemming the flow of contraband into Utah’s prisons. Asay’s and Anubis’ finish marks the third time in the last three competitions that a UDC team has finished on top in the narcotics category. In 2018, Dustin Adams and Legion were tops in Las Vegas, while Jacob Waters and Ronnie lead the way at the Utah Peace Officers Association event. “It has put us on the map,” Asay said of the UDC’s growing reputation. “We get calls from other agencies to assist.” While a powerful tool in the corrections industry, the dogs are, well, dogs. And that’s a good thing. “It’s hard to be depressed or down when you’re around a dog,” said Dustin Adams. “The dogs are fun,” said Kyler Adams, Dustin’s older brother and also a K-9 officer. “They usually make people feel better anyway.” In addition to Draper, the Central Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison also has dog handling teams....

25 Feb

Posted at 12:40h in Latest News
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Students with special needs at Jordan Valley and Kauri Sue Hamilton schools were treated to their own private pumpkin patches this month, provided by the Utah Department of Corrections’ Correctional Industries. The pumpkins were grown by inmates at the Utah State Prison as part of the Green Thumb Nursery Program. “The kids come down, and you can see the joy on their faces,” said Kauri Sue Hamilton Principal Courtney Titus as she watched students pick out pumpkins with the help of UDC staff members. UCI Nursery Shop Supervisor Todd Barszcz said the inmates grew over 7,000 pumpkins this year, but the Sugar Pie and Autumn Gold varieties are not sold. “They are grown specifically for the kids,” he said. “They are the perfect size.” In addition to the schools, the program also donates pumpkins to area hospitals that treat children. Besides the fruit donated to the schools – yes, a pumpkin is a fruit – the inmates grow a number of varieties, including exotics like Cinderella and Goblin, that are sold by UCI. The sales allow the program to be self-sustaining. Barszcz said the program shows the public that the Department of Corrections provides opportunities for offenders to rehabilitate. But there is a bigger reason. “There are very few programs where inmates can start giving back while still serving their time,” he said. It’s a statement echoed by those who spend months taking seeds and turning them into gifts at Utah State Prison. “That’s the whole reason we grow them,” said Cody Nielsen, an inmate who works as the lead of the program. “It gives us a chance to give back. It’s not much, but it means a lot.” It means a lot to the students as well. Titus said students will take the pumpkins back to class for painting. Some teachers will also cut a pumpkin open to allow students to feel the insides. For many, she said, their challenges limit opportunities to go to a public pumpkin patch. So bringing one to them allows the students to participate. “It makes them feel special,” she added.   Public Information Office, Oct. 31, 2019...