Sometime in July, inmates at the Utah County Jail will wake up to find themselves being transported to a better place.
Officials say the new $24.5 million Utah County Security Center - built on 20 acres in the south-central part of Utah County north of Spanish Fork and introduced to the public on Saturday - will not only offer clean, attractive housing but a safer environment under a direct-supervision philosophy.The center is the first of its kind in the state.
"This is known as a `new generation jail,' " said Sheriff David R. Bateman. "It is built around the `pod' concept and will be run as a full `direct supervision' jail.
"My philosophy will be that inmates follow a well-planned set of rules and regulations and are classified according to appropriate laws and according to their behavior while incarcerated here."
People being admitted to the security center will initially undergo three days of orientation as part of the inmate classification system.
"Most of the persons who come into this facility will have never heard of this, nor have they been in such a facility," said Bateman. "Most have never been exposed to the realities of a true, behavior-based environment.
"This system operates on the three fundamental principles of a truly just system of inmate management: The consequences for unacceptable behavior will be swift, certain and appropriate. Rules are applied evenly and with consistency by every member of the jail staff because of their education, training and commitment to the nine principles (of direct supervision)."
Basically, direct supervision puts a staff member right into the day room with those housed in a particular dorm area or housing pod. The staff member is not armed and does not have a key to the door. He does have the ability to immediately summon assistance and a roving staff member is constantly moving between pod areas to help maintain order.
Because the staff member is right in with the inmates, he or she can monitor the climate in the room and interact on a positive level with them, said Bateman.
The center has the capacity to house 668 inmates and can expand to house 1,200.
Bars on the windows have given way to thick paned glass and wide dividers that still allow for spectacular views of the Wasatch Mountains outside.
However, the facility is specifically designed to keep different levels of inmates separated from one another and males from females.
Staff in Central Control can electronically monitor each of the four housing wings and hallways within the center. Cameras zero in on anyone asking to move from one wing to the next.
The public is better protected in the new center, with a separate hallway one floor above the inmate housing for those coming to visit inmates.
The center, started in August of 1994, took three years to complete. Utah County voters approved funding for construction, but subsequently voted no on bonds that would've paid for staffing.
Not until the current fiscal year have county officials been able to include the $2.5 million costs for staffing and operation in the budget through a property tax increase.