In March 2015, the Utah State Legislature and Gov. Gary Herbert approved sweeping and historic legislation to reform and reinvest in Utah’s criminal justice system. It is designed to:
- Slow the growth in the number of people being sentenced to prison.
- Focus prison beds on those convicted of serious and violent crimes.
- Strengthen probation and parole supervision.
- Increase treatment and rehabilitation services for offenders.
- Provide more support to local corrections systems.
- Increase oversight and accountability to ensure a fair, secure and affordable criminal justice system.
A modern state correctional facility is needed to fully implement criminal justice reform by:
-
Replacing a facility that lacks adequate, flexible space for treatment, rehabilitation, education and job-training programs that prepare inmates for a successful, safe and lasting re-entry into society.
- Using technological innovation and advancements in security systems that allow for more efficient management of the offender population.
- Changing the way corrections officers interact with incarcerated individuals through direct supervision, which allows officers to directly interact with inmates to address issues before they escalate.These modern supervision improvements have been shown to reduce violence in prisons, enhance programming and decrease sexual assaults.