SOUTH SALT LAKE — More than 50 men in blue jumpsuits and orange slippers sit in a large circle on the other side of the concrete, steel and plate-glass partition.
Though their outfits are identical, they are racially and ethnically diverse. Some look barely old enough to shave; others could easily be bouncing a grandchild on their knee.
What they have in common is an act — or acts — that led to jail and, for the moment, sharing a path that could lead to never returning.
Members of the Salt Lake County Council and other officials Tuesday morning got an up-close look at the newly reopened Oxbow Jail and a glimpse, perhaps, of lives gone wrong in the process of finding a new right.
The South Salt Lake facility, which at one time housed more than 500 inmates, was mothballed in 2002. Since then, it has served the sole purpose of a laundry facility for the newer and much larger Metro Jail.
Last year, the Salt Lake County Council approved funds to bring a 184-bed "pod" at Oxbow back online, with the express purpose of expanding rehabilitation programs to help address the problem of recidivism.
Salt Lake County Sheriff's Capt. Kevin Harris, programs division administrator for the jail, said one of the keys to slowing down the revolving door of repeat offenders is addressing their core issues.
"Three out of four people who become incarcerated are dealing with substance-abuse problems," Harris said. "We've greatly expanded the size of our treatment program with Oxbow. … We're balancing treatment needs and a sentence."
The circle of men in the 56-bed wing of C-pod are engaged in a group portion of the Correctional Addiction Treatment Services program — an intensive, 90-day residential treatment program administered by the Salt Lake Valley Health Department that aims to intervene in the patterns that lead to destructive and criminal behavior.
Before the partial Oxbow re-opening, the Metro Jail was limited by space to offering the program to only 64 inmates. Now, Harris said, the previous lists of those waiting to get into the program has been reduced from 80 or more to less than 20, and new programs are coming online to make sure the help continues after release.
"At Oxbow, we provide a better environment and have brought in a discharge planning component," Harris said. "They assess what the barriers are for re-offending and help ensure they're avoided."
In the words of one inmate, what will happen when he completes the program is as important as getting clean.
"It's more than simply a treatment program," said the man, who appeared to be in his 20s. "I threw away several scholarships to different colleges in and out of the state to live the fast life and use multiple drugs. Not only will this program help get me sobriety, but they have a program called Re-Entry that's going to help me get back into school."
Another inmate thanked the visitors for the chance to get better and asked if the funding for the program would continue. Councilwoman Jenny Wilson, chairwoman of the county's law enforcement subcommittee, gave the prisoner what encouragement she could, as deep budget cuts to county government loom in the coming year.
"We're going to try to keep supporting this program," Wilson said. "Our hope is the economy picks up. … What I care about and what my colleagues care about is you all not coming back, going on to living really productive lives."
e-mail: araymond@desnews.com