Advocates for Criminal Justice Reform in Utah
The Utah Prisoner Advocate Network is a 501(c)3 nonprofit and 100% volunteer grassroots community outreach organization that aims to simplify the incarceration process for the inmates’ supporters—while also advocating for better conditions inside Utah jails and prisons. We do this primarily by educating the public through monthly support meetings and newsletters, an open dialogue with the Utah Department of Corrections / county jail administrations, legislative advocacy, guest speakers, coalition forming, and a shared network of useful resources. Instead of membership, our network constituents are formed by volunteers, criminal justice advocates, industry professionals, expert advisors, coalition organizations, formerly incarcerated individuals, and over 1,000 Utah families of the incarcerated and growing.Our Mission Our Organizers Media Inquiries
Join the UPAN Family Support Group on Facebook
We’ve formed a private family support group as a safe place to ask questions, get advice and emotional support from people that know what you’re going through.
- Invaluable resource for those who are new to the criminal justice system in Utah
- Network with UPAN Directors, advocates, and other families of incarcerated loved ones
- Ask questions and get advice
- Moral support from others who’ve experienced the same type of issues and situations
- Formerly incarcerated individuals trying to get back on their feet and looking for resources
- Discussions on criminal justice reform issues
- News, updates, and much more
Join Our Support Group
Join Our UPAN Volunteers / Committees Working Group
Latest News
'Use this time to better yourself': Women inmates plant garden at Utah State Prison
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'Use this time to better yourself': Women inmates plant garden at Utah State Prison
www.ksl.com
The garden at the Utah State Prison is a community space where women who have proven they can manage themselves can spend their free time.- likes love 7
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2 CommentsComment on Facebook
🙌🏼
They need one at CUCF!
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We want you to join us for the inaugural session of the #UDC Citizen's Academy! Applications are being accepted now. 📄
Learn more by contacting ⬇️
[email protected]
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$1 billion Utah prison isn’t delivering promised programs
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$1 billion Utah prison isn’t delivering promised programs
www.fox13now.com
If Franklin Carroll wants to walk out of prison before his sentences expire in 2029, he needs to take sex-offender treatment courses.1 CommentComment on Facebook
And what about Lifers who want to take classes and work? They literally get left out of everything. There is absolutely nothing offered to them to keep them occupied. All they have to do all day long is be in their heads...they eventually just plot, scheme, and do things they wouldn't have otherwise done had they been given something to do. The new prison is a joke. It's being run just like Draper, the only thing that has changed is the location. I've heard repeatedly that it was better at draper....
![🎇 Happy Independence Day! 🎆
Today, as we celebrate the values of freedom and justice that define our great nation, let us also remember and honor every individual and family touched by the criminal justice system. To the families, friends, and all those supporting loved ones who are incarcerated, your resilience and hope embody the spirit of today.
On this special day, we also extend our deepest gratitude to the veterans, active troops, and first responders who have dedicated their lives to protecting and serving our country. Your courage and sacrifices ensure the freedoms we cherish.
Let’s unite in the belief that every person deserves a second chance and the opportunity to make a positive change. Together, we can continue to advocate for fairness and transformative justice that uplift our communities and honor our shared values.
Wishing everyone a safe, joyful, and reflective Fourth of July! 🇺🇸💙
#IndependenceDay #JusticeForAll #CommunityStrong #UPAN
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🎇 Happy Independence Day! 🎆
Today, as we celebrate the values of freedom and justice that define our great nation, let us also remember and honor every individual and family touched by the criminal justice system. To the families, friends, and all those supporting loved ones who are incarcerated, your resilience and hope embody the spirit of today.
On this special day, we also extend our deepest gratitude to the veterans, active troops, and first responders who have dedicated their lives to protecting and serving our country. Your courage and sacrifices ensure the freedoms we cherish.
Let’s unite in the belief that every person deserves a second chance and the opportunity to make a positive change. Together, we can continue to advocate for fairness and transformative justice that uplift our communities and honor our shared values.
Wishing everyone a safe, joyful, and reflective Fourth of July! 🇺🇸💙
#IndependenceDay #JusticeForAll #CommunityStrong #UPAN
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Knowledge is power! 📚
For the first time, The University of Utah Bachelor's program is being offered to those held at #UDC looking to continue their path forward in #education. 🙌
#UtahCorrections #Corrections #UTED
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Prison contractor Wellcon Inc. hit with $2 million fine after Utah inmate's 2013 death
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Prison contractor Wellcon Inc. hit with $2 million fine after Utah inmate's 2013 death
www.ksl.com
Ten years after an inmate's death at a Salt Lake jail, his surviving family has been awarded a $2 million settlement.1 CommentComment on Facebook
We are held accountable for our actions and mistakes and it’s nice to see that they were too. The medical care is still a huge problem though so hopefully this will encourage them to improve.
Garden within walls of Utah prison gives inmates unique chance to grow ... See MoreSee Less
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Garden within walls of Utah prison gives inmates unique chance to grow
www.fox13now.com
At the Utah State Correctional Facility, within the walls of confinement is a rare form of freedom...a vegetable garden.2 CommentsComment on Facebook
Does anyone know the process to get into this program? It only talks about behavior, not how to participate. Also, if anyone knows of any programming for young inmates (20) please let me know. I’ve been looking into them, as my LO transitions from county to state and would appreciate any guidance I could pass along. We are new to all of this.
But they won't let most men who want to work there do so. Not only that, it's left up to the guards to decide who gets a job there, so if you've ever pissed off that guard, it's a guarantee you're not getting the job
Reposting detailed explanations and information on PHONE PROBLEMS from ViaPath / GTL
#inmatephones
PHONE UPDATE MONDAY JUNE 17
1 PM #inmatephone
The following email was received from William Jarrett of ViaPath, which now owns Global Tel Link. It has detailed information on what families need to do with their own cell phone carriers and plans to make sure the new phone number coming from the prison is accepted and not blocked by your phone.
NOTE: try this. But this is not guaranteed to work. But you need to know the information that we as families and consumers are being given.
Molly,
Recently we have been receiving a multitude of reports regarding prisoners not being able to reach their Friends and Family using the phone system at Utah prisons. You can be rest assured it is not our phone system that is creating the problem but rather the phone carriers themselves. Over the past 10 years or so , the rise of automated robocallers by telemarketers and scammers has reached an all-time high. As a result, people have bombarded carriers such as AT&T, Sprint, T-mobile, etc. to block specific numbers by individual customers because they get tired of all the telemarketers calling them. Imagine millions of customers calling you requesting a number be blocked only to have them switch to another number as they bought up a whole block of phone numbers they can use to keep spamming the public with. They do this because every now and again someone answers the call and falls for their pitch. It's profitable enough for them to keep doing this.
Many large and legitimate businesses use VOIP technology (Voice over IP ) to field large volumes of calls as well. We are no exception. The way this works is simple. We procure a phone number through legitimate means, register it on a national registry so our caller ID will show what it is and assign it to the phone system so when an inmate calls out you will see that number displayed on your caller id. There could be 500 inmates calling out at once from a facility and all 500 calls will show that number. This is called Caller ID Spoofing.
Unfortunately, robocallers and scammers are copying this model and exploiting it. The FCC made it known that in response to massive consumer complaints about these shady telemarketers and scammers, they were going to crack down on them. The phone carriers came up with a solution they pitched to the FCC which the FCC latched onto and approved. They suggested they could manage the problem by creating Spam/Robocall blocking systems that would for example send a scam/robocaller to voicemail or route the call off to a destination where it rings until the system times out or the scam/robocall system gives up. The customers' phone would not ring, and they would no longer be bothered by these nuisance callers. Each carrier would be responsible for their spam/robocall blockers and for maintaining their nuisance caller phone number lists. When they see a large number of calls coming from one phone number (CallerID Spoofing) the Phone Carriers flag it as spam or a potential robocaller and add that number is added to the list of calls to block.
The phone carriers do have a method for customers to unblock a number. The customer can download an app for their carriers spam/robocaller blocking system to manage phone numbers of who they wish to block or allow through the call filter. In other words, they put it back on the customers shoulders to deal with. I have dealt with many frustrated family members who call in and take out their frustration on us over something we have no control over. I have been told "I did not order this service so how can I have it?" I have also been grilled as to why I can't fix their problem for them or why haven't we done something about it?
The answers are simple,
1) This is on an opt-out basis, and you were automatically enrolled by your carrier without your express consent. In other words, you have to choose to not be "protected" by them.
2) I have called multiple carriers and requested they remove our numbers from their lists as they are not scammers. I have been informed each of their customers has access to the tools necessary to unblock a number if they want to get calls from those numbers. They will not work with us on this as we are not their customer and more importantly, they don't have to. The FCC gave them this power to regulate this problem and they are under no obligation to take any concerns we voice into consideration. I wish it were as simple as us just calling them and saying hey this is a prison inmate phone number, please don't block it. Unfortunately, that is not the case.
Please check the following links for supporting documentation to help you with complaints being levied about this issue.
Source FCC Website: www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-affirms-robocall-blocking-default-protect-consumers-0
FCC Affirms Robocall Blocking By Default to Protect Consumers
This item provides clarification voice service providers may use now to block illegal and unwanted calls before they reach consumers' phones, and proposes additional means providers may use in the future to block those calls.
www.fcc.gov
AT&T - www.att.com/support/how-to/robocalling
Block Robocalls and other Unwanted Calls
Learn how to block robocalls. Get information on the different types of unwanted calls you may get on your mobile or home phone.
www.att.com
Verizon - www.verizon.com/solutions-and-services/call-filter/
Verizon Call Filter | Verizon Wireless
Answer with confidence with Call Filter. Screen and automatically block incoming spam calls and report unwanted numbers. Upgrade to Call Filter Plus for enhanced protection with Caller Name ID, personal block lists, spam look-up feature, and more.
www.verizon.com
Sprint- www.sprint.com/en/landings/scamprotection.html
T-Mobile® Official Site: Get Even More Without Paying More
Save on incredible benefits every month. Learn about unlimited plans, 5G internet & more.
www.sprint.com
T-Mobile - www.t-mobile.com/customers/scam-shield
T-Mobile® Scam Shield App – Block Scam & Unwanted Calls (Free & Premium)
Fewer Scam Calls. Period. Scam Shield from T-Mobile enhances your scam blocking protection so you can say goodbye to scam calls for good!
www.t-mobile.com
The symptoms of a spam blocker being used will manifest themselves as some of the examples below:
1. The caller states the phone just rings and rings but is never answered. The called party states, they never got the call on their end. The call is essentially routed to nowhere.
2. The caller states the call goes through, but they are told "Your call was not accepted". Again, the called party will say they never got the call. This is because, the call is immediately routed to the called party's voice mailbox. If they check their VM, they will most likely find a message where they will hear our automated system advising them, they are receiving a call from a prison and to press 0 to accept the call. After repeating this message twice with no response from a human being to accept the call, the call is terminated, and the inmate is advised their call was not accepted.
Unfortunately, we do not have the time or resources to continuously educate friends and family members about the carriers robocalling blockers, nor technically should we be providing support for someone else's product. I will be happy to help where I can but please understand this is not our phone system that is the issue here.
William “Bill” Jarrett
ViaPath Technologies | Technical Service Representative 3
www.viapath.com
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www.viapath.com
eLearning hours growing by the day. Learn more. WE BELIEVE IN SECOND CHANCES ViaPath knows the value formerly incarcerated individuals can bring to the workforce and is committed to fueling successful...0 CommentsComment on Facebook