Utah State Jails
Utah situated in the west of the United States. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2.7 million people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. Utah is bordered by Arizona on the south, Colorado on the east, Wyoming on the northeast, Idaho on the north and Nevada on the west. It also touches a corner of New Mexico.
Since 1960 Utah’s crime rate has generally followed the national trend. After 1994, Utah saw an unusual increase in crime rates while the nation saw a significant decline. One possible explanation for this unusual increase is that it resulted from a change in reporting systems in the Utah State Courts. Until 1992, the circuit courts and district courts remained separate, utilizing the Trial Court Information System (TCIS) and the District Court Information System (DCIS), respectively. Between 1992 and 1996, the Circuit Courts and District Courts combined under a new case management system, the Court Records Information System (CORIS).
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After peaking in 1995, leveling off in 1997, crime rates have dramatically dropped, by almost 29.5% between 1997 and 2001. During this same time, Utah’s per capita state and local government spending on police protection began to significantly increase. Between 1996 and 1997, Utah’s per capita expenditures increased from $131 (versus $168 nationally) to $148 (compared with $178 nationwide); as a result. In 2008 the crime rate in Utah stood about 2% lower than the national average rate. Property crimes account for around 93.8% of the crime rate in Utah which is 4% higher than the national rate. The remaining 6.1% are violent crimes and are about 51% lower than other states.
With a violent crime rate well below the national rate (224.4 versus 473.5 violent crimes per 100,000 people), Utah continues to be one of the safest places to live in the United States in terms of violent crime.
Throughout Utah's 29 counties there are 29 jail facilities with a combined rated capacity of 7,493 inmates. Taxpayers in 2009 paid 6% higher than the other states at a cost of $30,594 per inmate. The Utah Sheriffs Association is responsible for the state's voluntary standards program. (2207) The Department of Corrections Division of Adult Probation and Parole supervise 11,103 probationers and 3,601 parolees through 6 regional offices and a number of field offices.
Utah has a rate 48% lower than the national average of incarcerated adults per 100,000. The Summit County jail is one of Utah's largest correctional facilities. The facility is a minimal to medium security prison that distributes its resources towards the rehabilitation of its inmates through various educational and treatment programs. The Summit County jail is divided into seven distinct pods; each cell block houses nearly 40 inmates based on their history, their behavior, and their propensity towards violence. Utah has a rate 69% lower than the national average number of probationers per 100,000 people. Utah has a rate 40% lower than the national average number of parolees per 100,000 people.
