tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37602562249946521272024-03-14T02:39:53.424-07:00Utah Department of CorrectionsStevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16484097957818354225noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760256224994652127.post-30043406740737412622012-04-02T09:13:00.003-07:002012-04-02T10:00:03.640-07:00Making Strides Toward Offender EmploymentThe Utah Department of Corrections was recently in the news as part of a broad, coordinated effort with several public, private, and non-profit agencies participating to help even the playing field when it comes to employment.<div><br /></div><div>Offenders often have a difficult time overcoming their criminal histories and finding work, even after they have served their time. This complicates their chances for success when they are on paper (probation or parole), since obtaining and maintaining employment is a major part of their required conditions. Likewise, employment is a precursor to other, broader successes. Offenders who have a difficult time paying rent or mortgages, supporting their families, paying restitution to victims, or even affording the necessities of everyday life generally are more likely to revert to former lifestyles or give up and find themselves back in prison. This has negative impacts on the individual, their families and loved ones, and society as a whole.</div><div><br /></div><div>Utah Corrections works with other state, federal, and local governmental agencies as well as the previously mentioned private and non-profit sector groups, to help offenders gain the tools and interviewing skills they need to stand on their own, possessing the confidence to compete in the job market.</div><div><br /></div><div>KSL News and The Salt Lake Tribune recently ran stories about two offenders who have turned their lives around and landed careers after serving time. Also below is a link to a page on the Corrections website about UDOWD, which contains a news release.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>News Stories:</b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/53739534-78/utah-offenders-murphy-job.html.csp">http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/53739534-78/utah-offenders-murphy-job.html.csp</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=19671757">http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=19671757</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://corrections.utah.gov/programs/preparing_offenders_for_success.html">UDOWD and News Release</a></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16484097957818354225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760256224994652127.post-43860392806499852152012-01-27T11:00:00.000-08:002012-01-27T11:04:52.687-08:00Lt. Governor Highlights CorrectionsUtah Lt. Gov. Greg Bell recently posted an entry on his blog highlighting the hard work of Utah Department of Corrections' staff. Link directly by <a href="http://blog.lg.utah.gov/2012/01/repeat-criminal-behavior/">clicking here</a>, or read below.<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', times;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-size: -webkit-xxx-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:130%;color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: normal; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:11px;"><p style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 24px; font-family:'times new roman', times;font-size:16px;"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 159px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBv-PeCHpzVVuLkHOINC-1y9Igkd9ZaZiXpJjepS6gU_VyEDaY4wyskHUtaBDMt10MvUZlLQJcihxcasNPK0KfJo7l6RtDsFCenDm-szvpiMZBd00QxoabneZ5nwhd7_qrYu04jHS2pPU/s200/GregBell.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702389306539256082" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Of all the functions of government, the corrections system is one of the least visible to the average citizen. The Utah Department of Corrections (UDOC) has a daunting task, and little margin for error. With limited staff and resources, UDOC manages 6,900 inmates. Last year they processed 3,300 intakes and 3,100 releases.</span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 24px; font-family:'times new roman', times;font-size:16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 24px; ">One of their most important assignments is to prepare offenders to return to civilian life—without their criminal behavior. A large majority of inmates have some kind of learning disability and low levels of educational attainment and many deal with serious addictions. UDOC provides therapy to prisoners to address addictions, mental illness, and irrational thinking and behavior. They also help prisoners obtain their high school diploma and especially endeavor to teach new workforce skills so they can support themselves. Recidivism—repeat criminal behavior—is greatly reduced by therapy, education and job training. These programs are expensive and in high demand, but they provide a high return to the taxpayers by sparing the community from additional crimes and repeated incarcerations and by turning many felons into productive taxpayers. In fact, according to a recent PEW study, Utah’s corrections system experienced the second-most-dramatic drop in recidivism rates in the US, a reduction of 18.4 percent.</span></p><p style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 24px; "></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 24px; ">UDOC has seen excellent results from its Sex Offender Treatment Program, which addresses criminal sexual deviance. A staggering 30 percent of the prison population is serving time for sex-related offenses. Most will eventually serve out their time and be released. Therefore, we must be assured that these offenders are not likely to repeat their crimes. This treatment program is crucial, both to prepare inmates for civilian life and to prevent future victimization. Unfortunately the demand far exceeds the available slots.</span></p><p style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 24px; "></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 24px; ">UDOC also operates three therapeutic communities which immerse inmates in an intensive addiction treatment program. In light of the huge number of our inmates who struggle with substance abuse habits, addiction recovery is key to preventing future crimes.</span></p><p style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 24px; "></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 24px; ">UDOC has formed a task force of corrections officers and specialists to connect released offenders with jobs. Employment is often the greatest hurdle an offender will face upon release from prison, and is essential in preventing recidivism. To prepare inmates for future employment, UDOC helps them complete their GED and obtain certification in technical job skills.</span></p><p style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 24px; "></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 24px; ">When an offender is released from custody, UDOC doesn’t just forget about them. Through the Adult Probation and Parole program, UDOC attempts to identify warning signs that an offender might be regressing and more likely to commit a new offense. When warning signs appear, probation and parole agents proactively return offenders to prison or a violator centers before another crime is committed.</span></p><p style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 24px; "></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 24px; ">While UDOC operates these programs to help offenders succeed after release, the overriding purpose is to safeguard our communities. Notwithstanding large budget cuts, UDOC has made great strides in safely housing prisoners and in preparing inmates to return to society as productive citizens. Governor Herbert and I applaud the excellent staff at the Utah Department of Corrections for their success in working with offenders, reducing recidivism, and keeping Utah a safe place to live.</span></p></span></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16484097957818354225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760256224994652127.post-803687124551825342011-10-24T15:53:00.000-07:002011-10-25T12:51:01.865-07:00Inmate-grown pumpkins<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMRAMbIencLSSe1oeLbX8-W5J0V_MzcCf3-3-yKHzPlZA_JiDdXEnj67JvVq_k8XJ_vFUNu95Nk3HCitJWVC0wqX-lXY6_ctUttp8PBJ5olo2YLTW_yPXYmxjW3EAuZ_Q303klE3D4SaM/s1600/GroupGather.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMRAMbIencLSSe1oeLbX8-W5J0V_MzcCf3-3-yKHzPlZA_JiDdXEnj67JvVq_k8XJ_vFUNu95Nk3HCitJWVC0wqX-lXY6_ctUttp8PBJ5olo2YLTW_yPXYmxjW3EAuZ_Q303klE3D4SaM/s320/GroupGather.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667197343853955826" /></a><p class="MsoNormal">DRAPER, Utah — As part of an ongoing annual tradition, officers from the Utah State Prison delivered thousands of inmate-grown pumpkins to benefit Salt Lake Valley children.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Officers made their final stops Oct. 24, at Jordan School District’s Kauri Sue Hamilton School for children with multiple disabilities, and Oct. 26, at a school for children with special needs at Canyons School District. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">A group of 28 inmates in the prison’s greenhouse program traditionally grow about 3,000 pumpkins between June and October. They pick the pumpkins one-by-one from the patch and bleach them to protect some of the children who are more susceptible to germs. They rinse and dry each pumpkin before hoarding the gourds into a trailer so officers can deliver them to various locations including a Boys & Girls Club, Camp Kostopulos, Shriner’s Hospital and Primary Children’s Medical Center. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The inmates dedicate two-thirds of their garden space to grow pumpkins for the children. One</p><p class="MsoNormal">offender noted that his fellow inmates take pride in the project, and he added that it notably brings together a group of individuals who are serving time for crimes against society and allows them to give back by doing something for the betterment of the community. The offenders are confined to the prison facilities and do not travel to the schools for the donations. Instead, they see the gratitude returned via a string of thank you cards. Several notes from last year’s donations currently adorn the greenhouse program offices. Offenders wished to thank news outlets for covering the event in years’ past, as it allows them to see the kids’ joy. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Prison inmates have also begun growing poinsettias in the greenhouse program, which will decorate various State offices during the upcoming holiday season.<o:p></o:p></p><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 199px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-iCNEpEvynhWKZvtzYiGCKEhNpAKEiT0H84PcYOutSAHxKx6l2_CzVdXBqzuCxdczVYnxDiWOUIaIsJUH9yYFheWVM4rc5cWHOGJUhRPO-aKfiF27_oqzZbIyUlnEBuwZuskl9loC-nQ/s320/PumpkinRows.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667197545661322530" /><p class="MsoNormal">Links to news media coverage:</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.fox13now.com/news/local/kstu-prison-pumpkins-riverton-students-given-pumpkins-grown-by-prisoners-20111024,0,3627340.story">http://www.fox13now.com/news/local/kstu-prison-pumpkins-riverton-students-given-pumpkins-grown-by-prisoners-20111024,0,3627340.story</a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705393028/Photos-Prison-pumpkins-bring-big-smiles.html">http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705393028/Photos-Prison-pumpkins-bring-big-smiles.html</a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://connect2utah.com/news-story/?nxd_id=170967">http://connect2utah.com/news-story/?nxd_id=170967</a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=17806392&autostart=y">http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=17806392&autostart=y</a></p> <!--EndFragment-->Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16484097957818354225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760256224994652127.post-27792404734495844342011-10-12T08:43:00.000-07:002011-10-12T08:45:30.382-07:00Prison Physical Therapy<i>The Salt Lake Tribune </i>recently published a story discussing physical therapy and how those visits are conducted in prison with security being a paramount concern. The story also touches on the fact that physical therapy in lieu of or on the heels of surgeries end up saving taxpayers and help make Utah one of the smallest spenders on inmate health care while still providing quality service.<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/52685671-78/physical-bales-prison-patients.html.csp">Click here for the entire story.</a></div><div><br /></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16484097957818354225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760256224994652127.post-66688039339889186682011-07-05T09:39:00.000-07:002011-07-05T10:03:40.328-07:00ConQuest Graduation 2011<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZmF66-t2kUvDwwAzIA_bhRZeKTbSXC-P-Ph7XcrM7E3cxw13fGhiCt9GvbW52RO5lKyyOIq7s2lJiGkY3_MA-cNrUQtO6UOtN3VTmS59NXjsLiJduehLdU5_dBk2dRfmuaIrYQDM0N8w/s320/ConQuest1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625910715385279986" />DRAPER, Utah — Not long ago, Nate Workman was living a young man’s dream. He was a local quarterback just entering the college scene and eager to make his mark. But his world quickly fell apart when he began using burglaries and thefts as a means to fuel his meth abuse. During the past decade he’s been in and out of federal penitentiaries and hasn’t spent much more than a year out of prison at any given time.<div><br /></div><div>After nearly 15 years of struggling with a negative lifestyle, Workman graduated the Utah State Prison’s Con-Quest substance-abuse treatment program on Thursday, June 30, capping a long effort to start a new life dedicated to his family and two children. He was accompanied by 30 peers, who likewise completed the program. A total of 73 residents graduated, but many had paroled from prison or moved out of the Con-Quest program ahead of graduation time. Some of the graduates will join the Con-Quest team as peer leaders and mentors to help fellow incoming offenders as they strive to follow the same productive path.</div><div><br /></div><div>Through Con-Quest and similar dormitory-setting programs, the Utah Department of Corrections provides offenders an intensely structured environment where they develop pro-social skills and learn from one another in a monitored group setting. In addition to overcoming substance-abuse issues, the offenders participate in a “relay system,” where they call each other out for negative behavior as simple as failing to wipe down a sink.</div><div><br /></div><div>Like other therapeutic communities in the prison system, Con-Quest selects offenders based on their need for substance-abuse treatment. Offenders are “mapped” for certain treatment programs when they enter prison, and those most in need of substance-abuse treatment prior to their release are prioritized.</div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZW1DldfwZX3MWxbRTjDj9qqTRxgU3kZmRQ-qcxBZhnXANWyiPyU8wY2NUFg10aIgeJkelUNF7VjFNsUuB9Dof1UMFbx-V3HmBz-WtjdcXulq1OuMBhHbuoTK0iiSqOKbTOZsZE0dUoxM/s320/ConQuest5.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625913254369970306" /><div><br /></div><div>When he came to Utah’s prison system in 2010, Workman actually wrote a letter to Con-Quest personnel, eagerly requesting that he be allowed in to the high-demand therapeutic community. He called it “a breath of fresh air” that could provide him with the resources he needed to overcome the root causes of his long struggles.</div><div><br /></div><div>“I looked at myself, and I was just disgusted,” Workman said, adding that he finally recognized he was hurting the ones he loved the most. “I knew right then I could either just become crap, or I could change.”<img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 203px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUULOJLZchkFUw3hO17DLOV6xVoJqJHbQEV3laaPCkIhzB07npvAorh9pLUoeooEAVLgbE68MbkW2VPOYPl9m5oRTUYiThDa_yIgo9YeBbAvaQe-h7oYTPCALh26dbqiNOMRcpb-_gX4I/s320/ConQuest3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625912012770681458" /> <p class="MsoNormal">“You have this heightened awareness of the small things – you’re accountable for all you do,” Workman said, adding that the 24/7 scrutiny and community life in Con-Quest varied drastically from life in the federal prison system. “I looked at [Con-Quest] an opportunity to grow. In a dormitory setting, you can’t just sit there and ‘do your own time.’ I finally had to dig down deep and deal with my issues. It’s unique. It’s about bettering you.”</p><p class="MsoNormal">As is the case with Workman, drug dependencies are often the catalyst behind various crimes that land offenders in prison – such as burglaries, thefts and forgeries. Among the nearly 7,000 inmates in Utah’s prison system, the vast majority – as much as 80 percent of the population – have struggled with some significant substance-abuse trial. Only about 4 percent are imprisoned due to drug possession crimes.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Con-Quest program began as a therapeutic community for males housed at the prison’s Draper site in 2000 and originally housed 144 residents. In March 2005, the program moved to the Promontory facility and expanded to 400 residents. The Department of Corrections also runs two other therapeutic communities targeting substance abuse issues – HOPE for male inmates at Central Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison, and Ex-Cell for female inmates in Draper. Ex-Cell graduated 22 women on June 29, and a not-yet-determined number of men will complete HOPE on July 21. Each program takes an offender an average of 18 months of focused effort to complete.</p><p class="MsoNormal">As for Workman – he finished in just over a year. With one year left before he paroles from prison, Workman said he has more confidence. He likes himself better. He has more fun. And he’s anxious to show his mother and grandmother by his actions that he stands for something positive.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Asked if he had a message for others struggling with substance abuse and self-confidence, Workman said: “Everybody has stuff. It’s what you make of it that counts. But you can do it. Change is possible.”</p><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 94px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZyM3dkS3oZYnZCacDJeNKweGqkuZ8hGq4vvn5vbRotMV4Tt05NCv1I9CkQBSRaNc1Ne2maX-BgN7Zhew-txgeNRrATHUEESmRare49eMOE_Hb_PkA3oNekEwqaHPd9tg2heixZYtnlyc/s320/ConQuest4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625912271266801858" /> <!--EndFragment--></div><div><b>Photos:</b></div><div><i>First: Con-Quest residents stand and recite their core beliefs in unison at the outset of the graduation ceremony.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Second: The Con-Quest band performs the first of two songs during the ceremony. It was an original piece written about calling home from prison.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Third: Nate Workman receives his Con-Quest completion diploma from former graduates who have since become mentors in the program.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Above: Con-Quest Program Director Dona Kendall addresses the graduates, stressing the importance of sticking to what they learned in the substance-abuse treatment program and noting that she "never wants to see them again."</i></div><div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>News Coverage of Con-Quest Graduation:</b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/52109157-78/program-family-inmates-prison.html.csp">http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/52109157-78/program-family-inmates-prison.html.csp</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=16191841">http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=16191841</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705375469/Prison-program-aims-to-keep-inmates-clean-after-theyre-released.html?pg=1">http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705375469/Prison-program-aims-to-keep-inmates-clean-after-theyre-released.html?pg=1</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.fox13now.com/news/local/kstu-substance-abuse-program-dozens-of-utah-prisoners-finish-substance-abuse-program-20110630,0,561073.story">http://www.fox13now.com/news/local/kstu-substance-abuse-program-dozens-of-utah-prisoners-finish-substance-abuse-program-20110630,0,561073.story</a></div></div><div><br /></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16484097957818354225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760256224994652127.post-64313639570880784642011-06-13T06:56:00.000-07:002011-06-13T07:50:16.125-07:00Graduation 2011<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz3GhxL0Y1_vGTwJS1FKai0jA_h_WprqJLnzF2Gv1XfK2HUIBOTy4WVoYrAsijrC5Q6A9KiRp1isLhqGgLFkobOvouHVbjC99iRscH15CZ-PiOVlYVZbuCmFsIKUTzCFfzfU64-o1V4OY/s1600/IMG_4989.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617715995956238786" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz3GhxL0Y1_vGTwJS1FKai0jA_h_WprqJLnzF2Gv1XfK2HUIBOTy4WVoYrAsijrC5Q6A9KiRp1isLhqGgLFkobOvouHVbjC99iRscH15CZ-PiOVlYVZbuCmFsIKUTzCFfzfU64-o1V4OY/s400/IMG_4989.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><br /><div>DRAPER, Utah — Donning traditional caps and gowns, a record-breaking 378 male and female inmates were recently awarded their diplomas from Canyons School District’s South Park Academy at the Utah State Prison’s Draper site.<br /><br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Keynote speaker Frank Layden - a former Utah Jazz coach, general manager and team president as well as former schoolteacher - encouraged the graduates to continue their hard work.<?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></p>"Graduation - that means it's complete. It's over. It's done, right? No, it's quite the opposite. Graduation is like the starter's gun firing to start a race. You are in the first day of the rest of your lives," Layden said. "You have now elevated yourselves above many other people with more opportunities than you've been given. You've moved up the pyramid...How smart you are will depend on what you do now after receiving that diploma. That you are going to elevate yourself, that you will not stop there, that you are going to take off in the race and make yourself even better. You are going to reach out to the stars."<br /><br />Layden compared the graduates' diplomas to the Utah Jazz, saying the basketball team would often be anxious to win a world championship, forgetting that building a foundation was vital.<br /><br />"Championships are fleeting. Next year there will be another champion," he said. "What you want to do is get a rock-solid base in who you are...What you have in your heart, combined with what you have in your brain, is what will make you a good, strong person."<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrSwq0sUjeSb-ar1cFZwpKWGUZLET-nzH96AHEMRX6jVOphlmx7LjqzJw5Dvp5Z7EGBFQEfmo0p6E1dLVq1OHRAy9zl7U-bi1Ck0fFyN1rNgZNi1MCY7lcuIkfCXk5-1dpdAkTSanmY9k/s1600/IMG_5018.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617715334077062770" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrSwq0sUjeSb-ar1cFZwpKWGUZLET-nzH96AHEMRX6jVOphlmx7LjqzJw5Dvp5Z7EGBFQEfmo0p6E1dLVq1OHRAy9zl7U-bi1Ck0fFyN1rNgZNi1MCY7lcuIkfCXk5-1dpdAkTSanmY9k/s400/IMG_5018.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Among the graduates were 378 individuals with stories of personal trials, like Amanda Bain. Originally en route to complete high school in 1996, she wanted to go to college and eventually join the U.S. Marines. But a month into her junior year, her vision was shattered – her father went to prison, she dropped out and turned to a life of drugs and crime. Upon her second prison term, Bain challenged herself to defy the odds and make constructive use of her short stay. She finished a huge load of school work less than two months. Set to parole 25 days after graduation, Bain said she is now full of self-confidence. She wants to be an example for her 12-year-old daughter and give her own mother a greater sense of pride. </p><br /><p class="MsoNormal">“She cried when I told her I was graduating,” Bain said of her mother. “And I’ve missed a lot of my daughter’s life. But now she’ll be more apt to listen when I tell her to stay in school. I wish I would’ve done this when I was younger. Now I feel like there’s nothing I can’t do.” </p><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Still, like many other offenders, Bain is a realist. She acknowledges it’s hard to find a job – especially with a criminal past. Many graduates further bolster their odds through prison jobs or applying for more sought after positions with Utah Correctional Industries. UCI is a self-sustaining enterprise aimed at saving taxpayer money and giving inmates responsibility and work experience while incarcerated. Among other tasks, UCI inmates gentle horses, perform asbestos abatement, build homes, and make furniture and signage for the State. Graduates also can continue their education by enrolling in vocational-certification programs, offering hands-on training in trades like welding, auto maintenance and culinary arts. </p><br /><p class="MsoNormal">These education and work programs are available to offenders who have demonstrated positive behavior in prison. The effort is part of a broader measure aimed at improving offenders’ knowledge, skills and abilities in hopes they will be able to provide for themselves and their dependents upon release, ultimately abandoning a criminal lifestyle and bolstering public safety in the community. Through grants and work within Adult Probation & Parole, Corrections seeks to help released offenders find employment. </p><br /><p class="MsoNormal">The graduates concluding their high school education at the Draper site comprises more than one-third of the overall statewide inmate-graduate population. Additionally, more than 150 students are expected to graduate from Central Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison on June 23, and State inmates housed in various counties via a jail-contracting program will earn diplomas from those respective regions. About 1,025 inmates graduated from the combination of those three groups last year. </p><br /><p class="MsoNormal">The Utah Department of Corrections appreciates a positive working relationship with the Utah State Office of Education, Canyons School District, South Sanpete School District, Snow College, Davis Applied Technology, Dixie Applied Technology, Uinta Basin Applied Technology, and the participating county jails along with each of their local school districts.<br /></p><br /><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617712551846203378" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpy2ZDOLYLJhtDEXmhENf-YkzBu7ESjbQv-4Glk_CSBQY-oR9ke_5UNIPUpg4BrOew9Xhk58fmLhDXm5GLkwK8PnpjmtDxqKR5eFiw-locPLirDus9AhoFP-S7v_Be3s_ctRhDtOQ66oo/s400/IMG_4979.JPG" border="0" /><br /><em>Top: A Corrections Officer monitors onlooking graduates as they listen to Frank Layden deliver the keynote speech.</em></p><br /><p><em>Middle: Frank Layden stands at the podium beneath a basketball hoop in the Timpanogos Gymnasium and addresses the graduating class of 2011.</em></p><br /><p><em>Above: A KSL-TV news camera films footage of Division of Institutional Operations Director Steve Turley addressing the 2011 South Park Academy graduating class.</em></p><br /><p><b>News Clips:</b><br /></p><br /><br /><p><a href="http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=15901945">http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=15901945</a></p><a href="http://www.fox13now.com/news/local/kstu-utah-inmates-graduate-record-number-of-utah-inmates-graduate-from-high-school-20110609,0,913097.story">http://www.fox13now.com/news/local/kstu-utah-inmates-graduate-record-number-of-utah-inmates-graduate-from-high-school-20110609,0,913097.story</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705374235/Prison-graduation-a-hope-filled-day-for-inmates-seeking-new-start.html">http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705374235/Prison-graduation-a-hope-filled-day-for-inmates-seeking-new-start.html</a></div></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16484097957818354225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760256224994652127.post-59238321101184331872011-05-19T11:59:00.001-07:002011-05-19T12:01:34.202-07:00Female Correctional OfficersKUTV Channel 2 News recently aired a segment exploring the work life of a female Correctional Officer. To read the story and watch the video, <a href="http://connect2utah.com/search-fulltext?nxd_id=144777">click here</a>.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16484097957818354225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760256224994652127.post-1139799593271091592011-05-19T11:35:00.000-07:002011-05-19T11:57:53.509-07:00Corrections Week 2011<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>The Utah Department of Corrections held its annual "Corrections Week." The 2011 celebration included an array of charitable events to benefit the community. Department staff organized and participated in a food drive for a local food bank in northern Utah, a book drive for children at the Ogden YCC, a blood drive to benefit MountainStar Blood Services, and a silent auction and torch run for the Special Olympics - among other events.<div><br /><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikhxyHhhB0G0PNbt09XCkFhMsb60ybIV80HqvIIPvCtFUjYEqIYbYvZrDqi-Yx2y6yYexmiEac8dUtDnhwnWYaZKLmOZh19_chtxDTswEqYkRH0mr-AWOKiV4wCr_WXgBvoZY96qy1cBg/s400/CIMG2620.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608502718654783970" /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Photo: UDC Special Olympics Torch Run 2011</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div>Additionally, Utah Governor Gary Herbert visited the Utah State Prison's women's facility to tour its substance-abuse rehabilitation program and an effort aimed at helping female offenders prepare to reintegrate into society through acquiring housing, jobs, and other necessities. The Governor also signed a document officially declaring May 1 - May 7, 2011, "Corrections Week."</div></div></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16484097957818354225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760256224994652127.post-79794892381534054652010-11-30T21:20:00.000-08:002010-11-30T21:24:48.971-08:00Women's Exercise Program<div>A group of female offenders at the Utah State Prison have established an exercise program with the support of Utah Department of Corrections staff and officers. KSL-TV recently visited the Draper site to talk to the women directly about how the program has impacted their lives.</div><div><br /></div><a href="http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=13468718">Read the story here.</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16484097957818354225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760256224994652127.post-14377380938130432592010-11-09T12:36:00.000-08:002010-11-09T15:42:56.787-08:00Gingerbread Festival<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifAuZUKvcKdWnrTyH5bPDr0jEnpz4kSROlI6LbohaLd_dxs_As_3CbU43Dz1rklORoFWTN8ANm1ezmVyvy8z39qD0qiSgSPgzmEve-uL4ReRrHVEWmhTPP2A15RrShph68Tcq423XgxKs/s1600/IMG_4367.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537652862100513202" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; width: 320px; height: 240px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifAuZUKvcKdWnrTyH5bPDr0jEnpz4kSROlI6LbohaLd_dxs_As_3CbU43Dz1rklORoFWTN8ANm1ezmVyvy8z39qD0qiSgSPgzmEve-uL4ReRrHVEWmhTPP2A15RrShph68Tcq423XgxKs/s320/IMG_4367.JPG" border="0" /></a> It’s not just a house – it’s “gingerbread architecture.”<br /><p class="MsoNormal">That’s how a group of female offenders at the Utah State Prison describe a pair of ornate and detailed sceneries they recently crafted over the course of just a couple weeks. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Since mid-October, a group of fewer than 10 women have been collaborating to design, bake and build two edible and aesthetically wondrous works of art. The first depicts a mountainous scene, complete with the balloon house from the Disney/Pixar movie “Up,” and intends to honor the Boy Scouts of America’s 100<sup>th</sup> anniversary. The second is a massive and intricate model of the Notre Dame Cathedral inspired by “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.”</p><p class="MsoNormal">The exquisite pieces will be featured in an annual gingerbread house competition hosted by the Boy Scouts of America and the PTA. Following an awards presentation and three-day event, the culinary creations will be auctioned to benefit Utah children through Learning for Life character education and the Utah PTA Arts Education Fund.</p><p class="MsoNormal">This is the ninth time women in the Utah State Prison have participated in the Gingerbread Festival. Prison Lt. Rod Villamil, who is once again spearheading the effort, said onlookers distracted by the creations’ beauty are always shocked to learn that inmates built the awe-inspiring works of art.</p><p class="MsoNormal">The women said they are thrilled for the opportunity to work together and do something creative with the time they spend in prison.</p><p class="MsoNormal">“In an institutional environment, the overall goal is homogenization. You try to toe the line,” said Carole Alden, a team member and artist who fashioned the characters depicted in the scenes using bread dough, fondant and food coloring. “But something like this really inspires people’s creativity. I’m grateful that we’re allowed to do this.”</p><p class="MsoNormal">And Janette Snyder said she gained skills and learned a lot about the craft of designing and building through the journey to create the gingerbread projects.</p><p class="MsoNormal">“I look forward to it, because you really form a meaningful association with these other women,” Snyder said.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Said Deb Brown: "It's the legal great escape."</p><p class="MsoNormal">The group used gingerbread, fondant, hard candies, frosting and food dye along with other materials such as lights. They worked in different shifts – often late into the nights and early mornings – whenever they could fit the project into their out of cell time. That meant juggling the artistic effort along with their usual classes, treatment or other programs. </p><p class="MsoNormal">So what was the hardest part of the whole project? The group notes they faced humidity that warped the shapes and bulged the windows of the cathedral. The group constructed a house, mountains, rocks, merit badges, cathedral walls, flying buttresses, bell towers, a steeple, cobblestones and snow flakes from gingerbread. Ailine Tauteoli notes they handcrafted trees, leaves and flowers from fondant as well as stained-glass windows from hard tack candy and finishing touches with royal icing. But Deb Brown insists the prize goes to the balloons on the “Up” scene. Though it appears to be gently floating an entire home through the air, the mass of fondant balloons feel more like a lead brick, making it difficult to steady the stick that served as a stand.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Eventually the group finished assembling all the separate parts and carefully pieced them together to form two masterpieces. In the end, the women said they were shocked by how coherently all the pieces and personalities came together.</p><p class="MsoNormal">A first-timer to the gingerbread project, Silia ‘Olive said she came in with a lot of anxiety and didn’t want to make a mistake. But after observing, baking and contributing to the project, she notes she’ll “really be ready for next time.”</p><p class="MsoNormal">As he thumbed through a photo album of past projects, Villamil pointed to multicultural projects, castles, dragons, and an impressive depiction of Hogwarts from the “Harry Potter” books and movies. But the inmates note that he’s never satisfied and continues to raise the bar every year, ushering in a new challenge.</p><p class="MsoNormal">He and fellow officers still face the daunting task of meticulously transporting the projects down to Orem for the festival coming up on Nov. 12, 13 and 15.</p><p class="MsoNormal">The women pieced together a brief written explanation to accompany each of the projects, including praise for supportive prison staff, namely Villamil, Deputy Warden Jerry Pope and Captain Mary Ann Reding. They also wrote a brief educational history of the Notre Dame de Paris and the Boy Scouts of America.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">The women add that the gingerbread depictions are “ a small gesture…extended to society with sincere hearts…This is one step on our journey to becoming the women we are capable of being.”</p><p class="MsoNormal">Participating inmates:</p><p class="MsoNormal">-Sally Krivanek<br />-Barbara Curvin<br />-Carole Alden<br />-Silia 'Olive<br />-Deb Brown<br />-Janette Snyder<br />-Ailine Tauteoli</p><p class="MsoNormal">Photos: (Above) Barbara Curvin, left, and Carole Alden pose next to the gingerbread scene from the movie "Up."</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16484097957818354225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760256224994652127.post-27917329389770629982010-10-25T09:05:00.000-07:002010-10-26T15:37:16.112-07:00Pumpkin Donations<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijowQOmgga7SnkimlOcNhKej6DsFQ6ZFszfsE8-RqoAy2Qm2sKlBZ3fYcNQkEJIR9mFlNY_8wog0PxhZYLHFqvEHRfHyupbpHb1ipFbR5SHNkPP1gTKlAqgMIMtyZ1HOekdLSz48D2CZw/s1600/pumpkin1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532481560923178530" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 262px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijowQOmgga7SnkimlOcNhKej6DsFQ6ZFszfsE8-RqoAy2Qm2sKlBZ3fYcNQkEJIR9mFlNY_8wog0PxhZYLHFqvEHRfHyupbpHb1ipFbR5SHNkPP1gTKlAqgMIMtyZ1HOekdLSz48D2CZw/s320/pumpkin1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Each Halloween, the Utah Department of Corrections donates thousands of pumpkins to children throughout the Salt Lake valley. The 2010 donation will benefit Camp Kostopulos, a local Boys & Girls Club, a family center, special-needs students at a local school, and Primary Childrens Medical Center.<br /><div><br /></div><br /><div>Earlier in October, Utah State Prison workers began delivering some of the approximately 2,000 pumpkins grown by some 50 inmates at the Draper site's greenhouse facility. The inmates began growing the pumpkins in June with help from prison staff and some offenders in other sections of the prison site.</div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div>The inmates and staff work year-round in the greenhouse. During the early winter months, offenders begin planting seeds for spring flowers. They are hired to work in the facility as a formal prison job. Their daily laboring hours normally last from about 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. When they have finished harvesting the pumpkins, inmates will begin growing poinsettias for the holiday season, which will be sent out to various state offices.</div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div>Below is a listing of all this year's pumpkin deliveries:</div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div><b>-Primary Childrens Medical Center:</b> Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2010.</div><br /><div><b>-Turn Community Center:</b> Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2010.</div><br /><div><b>-Murray Boys & Girls Club:</b> Thursday, Oct. 14, 2010.</div><br /><div><b>-Rise, Inc.:</b> Friday, Oct. 15, 2010.</div><br /><div><b>-Camp Kostopulos:</b> Friday, Oct. 15, 2010.</div><br /><div>-<b>Shriners Hospital:</b> Friday, Oct. 22, 2010.</div><br /><div><b>-Kauri Sue Hamilton School:</b> Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2010.</div><br /><div><b>-Jordan Valley Family Center:</b> Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2010.</div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div>For more information on the events, please contact the Department of Corrections' Public Information Officer at 801-545-5500.</div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div>Photos (Above): Lt. Ivie, left, and Officer Tuttle of the Utah State Prison help a young student select a pumpkin at the Oct. 26 donation at the Kauri Sue Hamilton school in Riverton.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxbIPoajIkJBMxdirSirlAsTCreGocxTN_qpfA4cSwz6z3acQPuxDcgqOMVwzj3B7lyzlQZeasREYc4NGImAyMXitdBZHZQUsXgjSHv07ybzDsSvGrSQ5FXG4IG08cBJn3PWRfaWJAcAI/s1600/IMG_4292.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532487045829032738" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxbIPoajIkJBMxdirSirlAsTCreGocxTN_qpfA4cSwz6z3acQPuxDcgqOMVwzj3B7lyzlQZeasREYc4NGImAyMXitdBZHZQUsXgjSHv07ybzDsSvGrSQ5FXG4IG08cBJn3PWRfaWJAcAI/s200/IMG_4292.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div> </div><div>(Below): A Kauri Sue Hamilton student beaming after picking out a pumpkin.</div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16484097957818354225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760256224994652127.post-21484751621648762552010-06-01T07:33:00.000-07:002010-07-06T09:14:43.691-07:00Prison Graduation<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZDCFrphyAWuIdc3lKN3qGHhthY-JyjXm_OqrHrTU024qxKM4t_A6MoiocMibAMmVwRgAbG1aAb32oOKRHmDloqDHhyY5X5QW9G78NsRYEeMRHOso-CpUv4j4u4_ZDqgd_0IY_18jm-s/s1600/grad3.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZDCFrphyAWuIdc3lKN3qGHhthY-JyjXm_OqrHrTU024qxKM4t_A6MoiocMibAMmVwRgAbG1aAb32oOKRHmDloqDHhyY5X5QW9G78NsRYEeMRHOso-CpUv4j4u4_ZDqgd_0IY_18jm-s/s320/grad3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478269919278103634" /></a>*UPDATE* On June 23, 2010, a record 184 inmates graduated from the Central Utah Academy at the Central Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison, Utah. This figure was up 78 graduates over the 2009 number - a nearly 74 percent increase.<br /><div><br /></div><div>DRAPER — She dropped out of school at the age of 14, just after her first son was born. For the next 12 years, Patricia Staley’s life spiraled out of control. She had three children by 19 and lost custody of all of them before her 21st birthday. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and began struggling with a pain-pill habit. She started sleeping all day, made several attempts to take her own life, and ultimately landed at the Utah State Prison at the age of 26 on a burglary conviction.<div><br />“It was short-sighted to think I should just end it,” Staley said. “But by the time I realized that, it was too late to go back and tell myself that I should be fighting for my kids.”</div><div><br />When reality set in, Staley finally began picking up the pieces. Now 28, she has shed nearly 50 pounds, established structure in her life, and graduated from Ex-Cell (the prison’s substance-abuse program for women).<img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyLp_W6za5HhLHu7V85xiTgyvOQ1Y9S6r83owlANgMxuHEk5mKUzhfL4K6zyyvAUg8Q3jRTnJ_fvbLJNCLUFJ3EWbfy-TADNQkuRLVdXmJekGgigwn8KziWvuMugxbNFvxla_6jCU2Jrs/s320/grad2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478269553496830066" /><br /></div><div><br />To top it off, Staley is looking forward to an accomplishment many of her peers achieved 10 years ago. She will receive her high-school diploma and address her fellow classmates at the Utah State Prison’s commencement ceremonies on Tuesday, June 1. </div><div><br /></div><div>Staley said she always loved school, but the team of teachers at the prison’s South Park Academy – under the jurisdiction of the new Canyons School District – inspired her to change.</div><div><br />“I learned to lead, to manage, to delegate,” she said. “Sometimes people have to trust you before you trust yourself.”<br /><br />Now, Staley said she would like to work at the school in effort to give back. She has a parole date set for October and wants to regain custody of her oldest, 13-year-old son. Her other son and daughter were adopted by a good family, but Staley’s experiences left her hoping to work with teenage mothers who are going through similar struggles.<br /><br />“I hated me so bad, but I’ve changed the things I didn’t like. Now, I love me,” Staley said. It’s all up to me now.”<br /><br />South Park Academy will hold two separate commencement ceremonies on June 1. About 370 inmates - the most in prison history - will receive their diplomas.</div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-J5umKlLrTrp5nT8NqeAOXaMRkQavMweUWS1AeJhfp1sUTZhJWWL0FmaIjeieP-oQlVwxfG2Yq1oVRjYUazZiP2pBJcFNWqzKzrJpKVC5Z3n1Eqluja5VhOkg0zb7eYgLwSxAhD4mN6k/s320/grad1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478269344534056210" /><div><br /></div><div>News stories:</div><div><a href="http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=11002795">KSL</a></div><div><a href="http://www.fox13now.com/news/kstu-utah-prison-inmates-receive-diplomas,0,2885231.story">FOX13</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Photos by Steve Gehrke</div><div>Top: Inmate Alexander Gibson addresses his fellow 2010 classmates at the South Park Academy graduation ceremonies.</div><div><br /></div><div>Middle: Utah State Prison Warden Steve Turley speaks to the South Park Academy class of 2010.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bottom: Inmates listen to South Park Academy principal Lory Curtis as he addresses the class.</div></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16484097957818354225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760256224994652127.post-57153455004986405962010-05-17T08:48:00.001-07:002010-05-17T08:49:44.879-07:00Hard Times CafeThe Hard Times Cafe at the Draper Prison site recently opened to the public. See the story as it aired on Fox13 News here.<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.fox13now.com/news/kstu-utah-state-prison-new-restaurant,0,4314409.story">Hard Times Cafe</a></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16484097957818354225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760256224994652127.post-55113438521072592232010-05-17T08:21:00.000-07:002010-05-17T08:46:17.493-07:00Corrections Staff Finishes Inmate-Built Home<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOkeKddMEuc9acOLcd0bNUE4njT68XJBvFfoLS3zFSWgtUps20WuIFVRHZ1MCKRxP_E6k4BYxFs_P2mK79Yhmb9RB0tleXNxK7bwF5A_5Sq1xq_67f95plhq0ef39w2ciuM08e65ogi8Y/s1600/Sod.jpg"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmJGJyKFydzh03lsWhIPd0Ibk29FeWhIry_Guot8kn3Oo0AwyqUrjRXglZr8ZN5cVBNiWLFc0u38mb4HZV18qCVOOUs5nAaOtP1JyWzLhh46JqBbKj7rVVkrhCsqhihEy9D02etoR4aTc/s1600/TomBud.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmJGJyKFydzh03lsWhIPd0Ibk29FeWhIry_Guot8kn3Oo0AwyqUrjRXglZr8ZN5cVBNiWLFc0u38mb4HZV18qCVOOUs5nAaOtP1JyWzLhh46JqBbKj7rVVkrhCsqhihEy9D02etoR4aTc/s320/TomBud.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472260661106049554" /></a><br /><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">DRAPER, Utah — Prisoners built it, and a handful of Utah Department of Corrections employees added the finishing touches.</p><p class="MsoNormal">The modest rambler, just off Orem’s 1200 North and State Street, now hosts a family that had been suffering from health and credit issues and was stuck in a substandard and unsafe apartment. And it all started with an unlikely crew of prison inmates. For several months, they constructed this place for the family to call home.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:11.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Over the course of those months, select groups of the state’s lowest-risk offenders were transported daily to and from the Orem home-building site under the supervision of Department of Corrections officers. The crews consisted of convicted drug and property offenders – all who readily acknowledge their mistakes and wish to start anew. By the end of the project, the inmate workers had learned valuable skills that very well could help them land permanent jobs as soon as they finished serving their time in prison.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:11.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Inmate Ron Eckhardt has been locked up since 2002. He had no experience in construction when he began building the home in January. But by the time it was finished, he knew how to roof and side a house.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:11.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">“These are going to be some good skills that I plan on using when I get out,” Eckhardt said, noting that he is slated for a November parole date and would like to start a real estate business when he is released. “This whole experience has helped prepare me for life back in society.”<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:11.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Eckhardt said he was shocked the first time he traded prison doors, handcuffs and barbed-wire fences for blue skies and a tool box.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Fellow inmate Kevin Strong said expects he will become an electrician or a plumber when he is released at the end of November. Noting that he plans to stay out of prison, Strong said being motivated and getting a job are the biggest challenges he faces – but he anticipates this home building project will help him battle both of these underlying issues.</p><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQccjIR_hG_2jn2wciM0lLldQ9oiTJpStXuvAiHAyYK64ms9WB8CCI2kdo9OH-r3YN3C-yZm26usGl9_Hv7-NXEw9-yd9dJcjiFjuWx0-7XPs7qj0ChmfTK_x5YYJrDKFVCn-dwo1wUxo/s320/TurleyTomHutch.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472262837824110706" /><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The inmates were hired on to the prison’s home-building positions through Utah Correctional Industries and paid a stipend of approximately $1 per hour. They were regularly evaluated to mirror a real-world work environment.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Though the home was formally handed over to the families during a ribbon-cutting ceremony last month, a large dirt mound has sat outside ever since. Several Department of Corrections employees will volunteer their time on Friday to polish off the project by landscaping the front yard. The workers will either use their day off to work on the project, or they will donate leave hours to spend time away from the office.UCI REACH boss Kelly Willey noted that most of the inmates made just one mistake in life, and they’re all getting out of prison at some point so it’s best to prepare them for that date.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Habitat For Humanity Director Kena Mathews awarded the group a special honor at a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony and noted, “This is just an example of good people coming together to provide for these families.” </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:11.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">The service project is part of the Department’s 2010 Corrections Week, focused on “paying it forward.” The Department has organized several charitable drives throughout the week and has encouraged its hard-working staff to donate free time away from the job to help their community – whether through official Department events, or their individual efforts.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:11.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">During the week, Corrections employees also donated blood to MountainStar Blood Services and the American Red Cross, held raise money for the Special Olympics, and framed and sheet-rocked a second home in conjunction with Habitat For Humanity.<b><o:p></o:p></b></p> <img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCiP1ji0a1eB2vYNmHI14B-xvGoJB0s21iDjlIR-FDtN6SDqOXF9RkV0jsry-ndgt-d9qab6h33nc0_Rk2SSU1eFMTZkQUZzWiTEUuoSDYujGo4M0Mes4XPiMznqzho6PKhjJgnk1PgZU/s320/CandelotHaddon.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472262635567465410" /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:11.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span><b>What are UCI and REACH?</b></span><span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:11.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span>Utah Correctional Industries gives state inmates on-the-job training experience while providing products and services to public agencies. These jobs provide offenders the experience they need to lead healthy and productive lifestyles when they leave the prison and re-enter society. The jobs also maintain a safer prison environment by replacing idle time with productive activity. Offenders must be hired by UCI, have a parole date within three years, and have demonstrated extended, exceptional behavior while in the institution to earn the privilege of leaving the prison to work on off-site projects. UCI is completely self-supported, meaning any income generated by the goods and services goes back toward funding the program itself. UCI provides everything from furniture and clothing to signs and homes. All of the work either matches or exceeds industry standards.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:11.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span>The Rehabilitation through Affordably Constructed Housing (REACH) project builds homes for organizations such as Habitat For Humanity and the Utah Housing Corporation. The group often builds homes on-site at the prison and ships them out. REACH has built three homes for Habitat For Humanity and more than 30 for the Utah Housing Corporation.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:11.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:11.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><i>(TOP: Corrections Executive Director Tom Patterson and Central Utah Correctional Facility Maintenance Crew member Bud Park haul buckets and wheelbarrows full of dirt to plant trees as part of a Habitat For Humanity project.)</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:11.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><i>(MIDDLE: Draper Prison Warden Steve Turley, Corrections Executive Director Tom Patterson and Training Academy Director Dennis Hutchinson install sheetrock in a home as part of a Habitat For Humanity project.)</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:11.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><i>(BOTTOM: Corrections Deputy Director Mike Haddon and Training Coordinator Kurt Candalot place sheetrock in a home as part of a Habitat For Humanity project.)</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:11.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><b><a href="http://universe.byu.edu/node/8233">Read the Daily Universe story here</a></b></p> <!--EndFragment-->Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16484097957818354225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760256224994652127.post-21179637912725602032010-05-11T15:14:00.001-07:002010-05-11T15:16:45.878-07:00Inmate Library UseRead The Salt Lake Tribune's story on male and female inmates learning through reading at the prison's various libraries.<div><br /><div><a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_15059087">http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_15059087</a></div><div><br /></div><div>To learn more about donating books and the importance of libraries in prison, see this video produced by a Salt Lake Community College class.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/globestudentmedia01#p/a/u/0/cFR67ld3G5U">http://www.youtube.com/user/globestudentmedia01#p/a/u/0/cFR67ld3G5U</a></div></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16484097957818354225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760256224994652127.post-70789480088802654412010-04-27T15:49:00.000-07:002010-04-27T15:52:06.455-07:00News Release on upcoming execution<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in;tab-stops:center 45.0pt left 182.25pt"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">DRAPER, Utah — On Friday, April 23, 3<sup>rd</sup> District Judge Robin Reese signed a death warrant in the case of the State of Utah vs. Ronnie Lee Gardner. The Utah Department of Corrections is moving forward with plans to carry out the Court’s order in compliance with long-standing Department policy. The Department will make every effort to minimize any anxiety and negative impacts on the family and friends of both the victims and the condemned. Department staff will display appropriate levels of professionalism, restraint and courtesy at all stages of the process. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">In accordance with Utah law, Ronnie Lee Gardner has elected to be executed by firing squad. It is anticipated that the Court’s order will be carried out shortly after midnight on June 18, 2010.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Below is information, as specified in state statute and Department policy, related to carrying out an execution by firing squad. This information is provided to address common questions the Department is receiving from members of the news media and other interested parties in light of the recent Court action.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Witnesses<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">No one will be required to witness the execution, nor will anyone attend as a matter of right. No person under the age of 18 will be permitted to attend. All witnesses will sign release forms, undergo searches, and will be ushered in and out of staging areas and witness rooms. Witnesses may include:<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="ColorfulList-Accent1" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span>Prosecutor or deputy prosecutor working for the county where the offense was committed<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="ColorfulList-Accent1" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span>No more than two law-enforcement officials from the county where the offense was committed<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="ColorfulList-Accent1" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span>The state’s Attorney General or a designated deputy<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="ColorfulList-Accent1" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span>Religious representation<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="ColorfulList-Accent1" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span>Friends or relatives designated by the condemned, not exceeding five<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="ColorfulList-Accent1" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span>No more than five close relatives of the deceased victim(s)<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="ColorfulList-Accent1" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span>Selected pool media witnesses<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="ColorfulList-Accent1" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span>Utah Department of Corrections staff or personnel from allied agencies as deemed necessary<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; ">Protests</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Department of Corrections has specific policies in place that seek to maximize movement through the general prison environs during an execution, while also securing the facility and all those involved in the process. The Department will provide an opportunity for demonstrators to express their opinions, whether in favor or against capital punishment, as long as they do so in a lawful manner. Additional details regarding the designated staging locations will be released as the date approaches. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Prosecution</b><span style="font-weight:normal"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Department of Corrections and its allied agencies will arrest and encourage prosecution of anyone who in any way attempts to document the death of the condemned via audio, video, or any other means. The Department will also seek to prosecute those found to be trespassing or entering the secured property without proper permission and clearance. Anyone taking part in unlawful demonstrations, unlawfully attempting to disrupt the execution, or threatening or terrorizing those involved in the execution process will likewise be subject to possible prosecution – including inmates being disruptive, assaultive, etc. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Condemned Choices</b><span style="font-weight:normal"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The condemned may request up to five individuals to witness the execution, including legal and religious representatives, friends and family. The Department has discretion whether to grant the request. The condemned will be contacted by Department officials for instructions on how to dispose of his personal property and any funds remaining in his inmate account. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Organ donation is not an option for condemned inmates. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The condemned will be offered a last meal. The request will be granted at the discretion of Department of Corrections officials. The last meal will be prepared at the prison facility by Corrections personnel. Alcohol will not be served or used in the cooking of the meal. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The condemned will have access to religious and legal representation, and will be given an opportunity to offer any last words prior to execution of the death warrant. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Execution Chamber<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The execution will take place at the Utah State Prison in Draper, Utah. The facility’s execution chamber was completed in 1998. It has been used once – for a lethal injection execution in the 1999 case of State of Utah vs. Joseph Mitchell Parsons. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The scheduled execution will be the first performed by firing squad in this permanent chamber. The room is approximately 20 feet by 24 feet and is fitted with curtains to cover the windows into the adjacent witness rooms. The windows are complete with bullet-proof, reflective glass to protect the witnesses from unintended ricochet, and to both physically and emotionally separate and protect the identities of the witnesses. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Firing Squad Logistics<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Executioners are pre-selected by the Department of Corrections and must be law-enforcement certified in the State of Utah. The five law enforcers remain anonymous, and will be stationed behind a gun ported brick wall in the execution chamber. The executioners will be armed with .30-caliber rifles, four of which will be loaded with live rounds. The weapon carrying the blank round will be unknown to the law enforcers. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The condemned will be secured to a chair, and a target will be placed over his heart and a hood over his head. At the conclusion of the condemned’s last words, the execution team will commence fire. A physician will be on site to certify that death has occurred.</p> <!--EndFragment-->Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16484097957818354225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760256224994652127.post-67693238219031010462010-04-13T20:37:00.000-07:002010-04-15T16:48:13.356-07:00Prison Inmates Build Home for Two Utah Families<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmE4BusNliHm-PpMgX1r_0-IczWF47RXmBobWCjaf2NiqCU8aqkUq5nq9Wkp845oEi7F-_wEjHSXoeujZa_R1JSc3kdnrHTX43dIwgnFZzBg_0t4dDKHVsjty_EIPdy_yMh-f6YBlcMIg/s1600/habitat1"><img style="text-align: left;float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmE4BusNliHm-PpMgX1r_0-IczWF47RXmBobWCjaf2NiqCU8aqkUq5nq9Wkp845oEi7F-_wEjHSXoeujZa_R1JSc3kdnrHTX43dIwgnFZzBg_0t4dDKHVsjty_EIPdy_yMh-f6YBlcMIg/s400/habitat1" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459835597833100114" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><b>OREM</b> – At first glance, the simple new rambler standing just off Orem’s State Street near 1200 North seems pretty basic. A wide carport protrudes from the speckless home, and a pair of support beams accents the front porch.</div> <p class="MsoNormal">But the simplicity belies the marvel of the process. The home was built from the ground-up by an unlikely crew of Utah State Prison inmates.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Select groups of the most proven offenders working for Utah Correctional Industries were transported to the Orem work site each day from Gunnison and Draper in order to build the house. The crews consisted of former drug users, thieves and burglars – but all of the men now readily acknowledge their mistakes and tout a desire to start anew.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Inmate Ron Eckhardt has been locked up since 2002. He had no experience in construction when he began working on the Habitat For Humanity home in the second week of January. But Eckhardt was willing to learn, and by the time the home was built, he could roof and side a house.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">“These are going to be some good skills that I plan on using when I get out,” said Eckhardt, noting he’s slated for a November parole date and would like to start a home buying and selling business when he gets out. “This whole experience has prepared me for life back in society.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Eckhardt said he was shocked the first time he was released from the confines of the heavy prison doors, handcuffs and barbed-wire fences for the work program.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">“It was weird,” Eckhardt said, adding that it was nice to get away from the everyday grind of prison lifestyle. “But we earn these privileges. We’ve earned our way to that position.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Inmate Kevin Strong agreed: “It’s pretty cool that they trust me – and that I can be trusted.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Strong said he has learned several odds and ends on the construction site. He expects to take up plumbing or become an electrician when he is released at the end of November.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">“I’m sick of this old life, I want to change and stay straight,” he said referring to his two prison sentences and his probationary terms. “Being motivated and getting a job is the biggest challenge when you get out. But I want to use these trade skills I’ve learned in order to do that.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Inmate Jason Nyborg said he learned essentially every construction skill there is to know as he built the home. And, he joked, “I forgot I was in [prison] for the day – at least until that sack lunch came.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The 31-year-old eventually wants to get an apprenticeship and become a master electrician. He said getting out in the community bit-by-bit helped him feel less prone to be anxious and jumpy. The steady work evaluations prepared him for a real-world job, and the meager $1 an hour pay allowed him to save a little cash. He hopes that will allow him to make ends meet until he lands a steady job after he paroles in May.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Like the other offenders on the job, Nyborg praised his UCI supervisors, calling them “mentors.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">“It’s been good working with them,” he said. “I’ve been blessed.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">And UCI REACH boss Kelly Willey returned the praise.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">“Most of these guys just made one mistake in life,” Willey said. “And they’re all getting back out at some point.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">In fact, one of the concrete pourers in particular who showed up on the day of the open house to finish the driveway went out of his way to thank the prison crew. That’s because just two years ago, the now stable and productive worker was just making his way in to the construction business as an inmate at UCI, according to site supervisor Wessley Andreason</p> <p class="MsoNormal">“He was really working hard and staying clean. He had a sense of accomplishment having come and gone [through the prison system],” said Andreason. “You know, for a lot of these guys, no one has given them the time to teach them how to use tools and give them some responsibility. Sometimes we learn from our mistakes.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Now, two of the many American families struggling to make ends meet in the midst of the rough recession will call the rambler “home.” Two mothers and two children were suffering health and credit issues and had been stuck in a substandard, unsafe apartment. They kicked in more than 500 hours of their own sweat equity during construction, and Habitat For Humanity funded the home through mortgages on other Habitat homes.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Habitat For Humanity Executive Director Kena Mathews praised the prison workers and everyone involved in building and funding the home. She said she never worries working with inmates, and the public doesn’t tend to mind either. She glowingly recounted a time when she noticed an elderly woman talking and laughing with an inmate worker.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Said Mathews: “This is just an example of good people coming together to provide for these families.”</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8WYlAudBmMTANinZvPNFdUGJQ5pfTpSFR9kvzu_PxZ7oXL2oP9-wZ9wl2iiqm2lj70lFqpasorDgKUYs0PJDIqdjUzBemxF6wOo50LWQe8WhsTzdRufUQVC-pBrdYa26T_JXXR-LmjD4/s320/habitat2" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459835090587979954" /><p class="MsoNormal"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>What are UCI and REACH?</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Utah Correctional Industries gives state inmates on-the-job training experience while providing products and services to the public. These jobs provide offenders the experience they need to lead healthy and productive lifestyles when they leave the prison and re-enter society. The jobs also maintain a safer prison environment by reducing idle time and hopelessness among the working inmates. Offenders must be hired by UCI, have a parole date within three years, and be among the most trustworthy inmates in the institution to earn the privilege of leaving the prison to work at off-site projects. UCI is completely self-supported, meaning any income generated by the goods and services goes back toward funding the program itself. UCI provides everything from furniture and clothing to signs and homes. All of the work either matches or exceeds industry standards. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Rehabilitation through Affordably Constructed Housing (REACH) project builds homes for organizations such as Habitat For Humanity and the Utah Housing Corporation. The group often builds homes on-site at the prison and ships them out. REACH has built three homes for Habitat For Humanity and more than 30 for the Utah Housing Corporation.</p> <!--EndFragment--> <div> <!--EndFragment--></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16484097957818354225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760256224994652127.post-7342208835785826582010-04-03T19:39:00.000-07:002010-04-03T19:49:34.306-07:00Draper April 4 visitation update<div>April 3, 2010:</div><div><br /></div>The Draper facility has been under a modified lockdown following a minor altercation in the Oquirrh facility on Friday. While the incident did not result in any serious injuries, officials proactively enacted precautionary measures to ensure there were no underlying threats that would extend to other portions of the facility. The modified lockdown did impact visitation, but Easter Sunday visitors should be able to see their inmates per the usual guidelines according to the usual April 4 visiting schedule. Escorts may accompany visits as a continued precaution.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16484097957818354225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760256224994652127.post-31413229440872228082010-02-03T07:38:00.000-08:002010-02-03T07:48:48.914-08:00Inmates crochet for Haiti<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXMnJNc7c1WQVWC9oWUrmfg1mTtSQkvG9cCQwW_CvIM8S8m8-RUDLmlIvTNxmwpzWBLP_BaUVJBr27SzEofbp-MOpNIhkHzjqe0LzlOrk89-RP6F2lQCNX9aqEbLmNdibg8-Fzqq12PLE/s1600-h/Haitiproject.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 278px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXMnJNc7c1WQVWC9oWUrmfg1mTtSQkvG9cCQwW_CvIM8S8m8-RUDLmlIvTNxmwpzWBLP_BaUVJBr27SzEofbp-MOpNIhkHzjqe0LzlOrk89-RP6F2lQCNX9aqEbLmNdibg8-Fzqq12PLE/s320/Haitiproject.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434043453073746418" /></a><br /><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">UTAH STATE PRISON -- American aid workers and U.S. dollars have been pouring in to Haiti ever since a massive 7.0-magnitude earthquake on Jan. 12 rocked the tiny nation’s capital area near Port-au-Prince. And Haitians are about to get some more aid from one of the unlikeliest places: crocheting inmates.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Offenders in the Utah State Prison’s ConQuest and ExCell substance-abuse rehabilitation programs have been knitting intricate, bright-colored toys and clothing for the Haitian people from yarn that has been donated by the community.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The idea to donate knit gear to Haiti came from ConQuest director Donna Kendall. It’s mandatory for the offenders to research news and keep up on current events, so when they saw the news coverage of the devastating earthquake, they were excited to help in whatever way they could, Kendall said.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Within weeks, small groups of men from ConQuest and females from ExCell finished off an entire supply of yarn, spurring some inmates to plead day after day for more materials so they could crochet more teddy bears, caps and blankets for the people living in tent cities whose homes and entire neighborhoods have been reduced to rubble.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The charitable attitudes may come as a surprise – afterall, many of these donors are locked up because they have taken from society. But some say that’s exactly why they’re now giving back – part of a broader effort to make amends with the public.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“We’ve taken a lot from society, but now we’re forced to look at what we’ve done,” said inmate Jeremy Reed. “You can’t put in to words how great it feels to do something for someone else. It helps me to feel a human connection. And now we want to step it up and do something positive for this nation going through a disaster.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Some offenders crochet during restless nights by the glow of an emergency exit sign, others find free time on weekends while they watch TV. For Reed – who learned everything he knows about crocheting in prison – it takes an average of one hour to make a cap, while a blanket can take around eight to 12, depending on the size and the pattern.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Fellow inmate Jamie Birch sorted through a sack full of clothes and toy knit bears, pointing out that all the white yarn in the bunch was purchased by inmates. Some donated not only their time, but their own often scarce money and resources to craft clothing and toys for the Haitians.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“It takes up time with positive energy,” said Birch. “A lot of our self-esteems hit all time lows when we got to prison. But you have to collect yourself. Before now, a lot of us couldn’t say we did anything for someone.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">And the same goes for the women, according to Gregory Hendrix, who oversees the prison’s ExCell program. He said the knitting projects bring the female offenders a sense of joy from making someone’s suffering a little less painful – all while they learn new skills for coping with recovery from their own drug or alcohol abuse.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“Many of the women have suffered trauma and understand pain and suffering,” he said. “The yarn project helps in the healing process as they give back to the community.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Though there are hundreds of thousands affected by the earthquake who will never see the donations from Utah inmates, Reed said doing a little is better than doing nothing.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“It doesn’t matter – you just do what you can,” he said. “Change is possible. It doesn’t matter where you are, what your circumstances are – you can do something to help. You don’t have to be rich or famous.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">When they aren’t focusing on natural disasters, both male and female inmates crochet for the needy in our local community, including Primary Children’s Medical Center and other charities. But they are in constant need of yarn. If you would like to donate yarn to the prison, or if you know someone who would, please contact Donna Kendall at <a href="mailto:dkendall@utah.gov">dkendall@utah.gov</a> or Gregory Hendrix at 801-576-7811 (<a href="mailto:ghendrix@utah.gov">ghendrix@utah.gov</a>).</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">PHOTO: Inmates Jeremy Reed, left, and Jamie Birch, right, show off various hats, blankets, bears and scarves. They and their fellow ConQuestadors crafted the materials to donate to victims of the earthquake in Haiti.</p> <!--EndFragment-->Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16484097957818354225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760256224994652127.post-80289970041354939762010-01-11T13:21:00.000-08:002010-02-03T07:51:35.109-08:00ConQuest inmates knit for charityInmates in the Utah State Prison's ConQuest program recently were in the news for charitable knitting they perform. The inmates use donated yarn to crochet gifts for patients at Primary Children's Medical Center and other organizations.<div><br /></div><div>Read the Deseret News story below.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705355605/Con-Quest-inmates-donate-crocheted-items-to-hospital.html">http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705355605/Con-Quest-inmates-donate-crocheted-items-to-hospital.html</a></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16484097957818354225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760256224994652127.post-5492655446249168892010-01-11T13:19:00.000-08:002010-01-12T06:27:41.636-08:00Gunnison horse gentlingKUTV Channel 2 News recently aired a story on the horse-gentling program at the Central Utah Correctional Facility, administered through Utah Correctional Industries in conjunction with the Bureau of Land Management. See the segment below.<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://connect2utah.com/content/fulltext/?cid=63852">http://connect2utah.com/content/fulltext/?cid=63852</a></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16484097957818354225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760256224994652127.post-52859632204268003482010-01-01T15:22:00.000-08:002010-01-01T15:23:08.969-08:00Gunnison Visitation UpdateFollowing a post-Christmas Day lockdown that prevented facility-wide visitation at the Gunnison prison last weekend, most operations will return to normal in time for Friday's (Jan. 1) visitation to resume. The exception will be the Cedar facility, which will not be able to visit and will remain on a modified lockdown through the weekend. Make sure you know the section in which your inmate is housed before coming to visit. If the inmate is housed in the Cedar facility, you will not be able to visit this weekend.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16484097957818354225noreply@blogger.com