2,464 inmates moved to new State Prison in SLC

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Department of Corrections announced they had successfully moved 2,464 incarcerated individuals from the Prison in Draper to the new Utah State Correctional Facility in Salt Lake City over the past five days.

“This transfer required tremendous forethought and coordination given the logistics and security concerns,” Gov. Cox said. “We offer our sincere thanks to Director Brian Nielson, the entire team at the Utah Department of Corrections, and the many other state and local agencies who helped for their professionalism and dedication. Ensuring a safe and secure move to our new state-of-the-art corrections facility was a monumental task and we congratulate everyone involved on a job well done.”

According to a release, the following outside agencies across the state offered their services as well:

• Utah Division of Technology Services
• Utah Highway Patrol
• Utah Department of Transportation
• Department of Natural Resources
• Unified Police
• Salt Lake County Sheriff
• Cache County Sheriff
• Utah County Sheriff
• Davis County Sheriff
• Kane County Sheriff
• Sevier County Sheriff
• Wasatch County Sheriff

“I cannot thank our staff enough for their professionalism and dedication during this historic event,” Brian Nielson, executive director for the Utah Department of Corrections said.  “Our team is grateful for the law enforcement agencies and other organizations who offered support in making this move happen.”

The move was a significant effort and coordination between many agencies. Here’s some of their moving metrics:

• 2,464 incarcerated individuals moved total
• 340 transportation runs total
• 20,832 miles in transportation runs from the Utah State Prison in Draper to the new Utah State Correctional Facility, which does not include the support vehicles involved in those runs
• An average of 1,300 staff working daily in total of operations (support staff and allied agencies included)

The individuals moved were transported by bus, van, or car with special considerations for safety and medical-related needs. The release stated that operations moved efficiently and most incarcerated individuals received their property the same day they arrived. They also received a complimentary commissary bag which included an assortment of snacks and hygiene products.

Over the past five days, incarcerated individuals were moved by bus, van, or car with consideration for safety, security, and medical-related needs. pic.twitter.com/PK8nHqR8Dz

— Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox (@GovCox) July 15, 2022

“I would be remiss if I didn’t express gratitude to the incarcerated as well for their cooperation and patience during this event,” Nielsen said. “We recognize that for some of these individuals the prison in Draper has been their home for many years.”

The new facility features increased daylight for both incarcerated individuals and staff, greater access to programming opportunities, uncompromised security and safety, and normalization of life for the incarcerated individuals to aid them in re-entering society.