Disclaimer: UPAN does not provide medical or legal advice. Information on this site is for general educational and advocacy purposes only. Please read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use for more details.

Utah Prisoner Advocate Network

UPAN | A nonprofit community advocacy group supporting the families of Utah inmates.


All of our important links are now in one place! https://linktr.ee/utahprisoner  Follow UPAN on Linktree


Recent News

Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons
UPAN Monthly Update:

UPAN Monthly Update: Behind the Scenes This Month

Hi everyone! Wanted to give you a quick look at what UPAN has been working on this week on your behalf.

Tracking what matters to you
We’ve started running a more structured process on the topics families raise in this group, so nothing gets lost. This week we pulled together the recurring themes families have been bringing up, things like medication renewals after transfers, laundry conditions, medical accommodations during housing moves, and communication about transfers. Having these documented helps us bring specific, well-supported questions to UDC instead of general complaints, which gets us better answers.

UDC Advocacy Stakeholder Meeting
UPAN met with UDC leadership this week, including Correctional Health Services, the IPP (county jail placement) team, and prison operations. A few highlights:

• Two new full-time psychiatrists are now on staff at USCF, something CHS leadership called unprecedented in nearly two decades of Utah correctional healthcare

• CHS is actively working with software vendors to fix delays in psychotropic medication renewals, a top concern we’ve raised repeatedly

• USCF officially earned NCCHC accreditation, a significant milestone for facility healthcare standards

• UPAN formally requested 20 additional mental health therapist positions in the upcoming state budget

• A new nail clipper access policy is rolling out around August 1

• IPP is adding a second case manager in Uintah County to reduce caseloads

• Tier 3 housing residents will receive thicker mattresses and pillows going forward

We also asked pointed questions about transfer notice, property handling, medical accommodation follow-through, and case manager visit frequency. We don’t have full answers yet on everything, but these conversations are ongoing and we’re tracking every commitment made.

UPAN Directors Meeting
Our director team met to review open issues, coordinate on newsletter content, and prepare for next month’s tablet and video visiting presentation (scheduled August 10th). We also discussed the upcoming holiday gift program, applications open later this year.

What this means for you: none of this replaces individual advocacy on your loved one’s specific situation, please keep reaching out to us directly for that. But we wanted you to know that behind the scenes, we’re consistently showing up, asking hard questions, and pushing for real accountability and improvements.

More updates soon. Thank you for trusting us with this work. 💙 ... See MoreSee Less

14 hours ago
View Comments likes Like 1 Comments: 0 Shares: 0
Share
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn Share by Email

0 CommentsComment on Facebook

Image attachment
Image attachment

Photos from Utah Department of Corrections's post ... See MoreSee Less

18 hours ago
View Comments likes Like 0 Comments: 0 Shares: 0
Share
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn Share by Email

0 CommentsComment on Facebook

Free Relationship &

Free Relationship & Well-Being Resources for Utah Families

Staying connected with a loved one while they're incarcerated is hard on relationships, and so is holding things together at home while they're away. Utah State University Extension offers a set of free, research-based tools that many of our families have found helpful, whether you're a couple navigating distance, a parent doing this alone right now, or just looking for some support for yourself.

All free, all from a Utah-based, research-backed source:

💛 Relationship & Marriage Assessments – RELATE (for couples, normally a $40 value) and READY (for singles, normally $25), both free for Utahns.
https://extension.usu.edu/strongermarriage/…

💛 Free Self-Paced Courses – Over 100 short courses on personal well-being, parenting, and relationships. Go at your own pace.
https://extension.usu.edu/strongermarriage/…

💛 Free Webinars – Practical sessions on relationships and well-being topics.
https://extension.usu.edu/strongermarriage/…

💛 Disagree Better – Three free courses on navigating conflict and differences in healthier ways. Could be useful for family tension around a loved one's incarceration, or communication with your partner.


💛 Financial Wellness Resources – Free webinars and practical money management tools, helpful if you're managing extra costs like commissary, calls, or legal fees on top of everything else.


💛 Free Parenting & Family Classes – Online and in-person courses on parenting, stepfamilies, and couple relationships.


These are offered through USU Extension's StrongerMarriage.org program and are free for anyone in Utah. We don't run these programs ourselves, so if you have questions about a specific course or assessment, their contact info is on the site.
Take care of yourselves too. 💛

Credit: Dave Schramm, Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Utah State University, and as Co-Faculty Director of the Utah Marriage Commission. Their mission is to strengthen couple and family relationships across Utah, and he wanted to make sure we know about the FREE, research-based resources available to us and the clients and families we serve.

[email protected] ... See MoreSee Less

24 hours ago
View Comments likes Like 2 Comments: 0 Shares: 1
Share
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn Share by Email

0 CommentsComment on Facebook

Load More Posts


About UPAN

The Utah Prisoner Advocate Network (UPAN) is dedicated to supporting families and loved ones as they navigate the challenging journey of incarceration. When a friend or family member is incarcerated, it can be an overwhelming experience, as supporters face the complex rules, regulations, and restrictions of life separated by bars. UPAN works to make this transition less complicated and isolating by providing resources and support for families while also advocating for better conditions and fairness within Utah’s correctional facilities. Please visit our About Page to learn more.

Follow UPAN on Linktree
All of our important links are now in one place! https://linktr.ee/utahprisoner

Associations

UPAN is a proud coalition member of People Not Prisons, a group of advocacy groups working on behalf of people with mental health conditions, people recovering from substance use disorders, and men and women caught up in Utah’s criminal justice system.

Donate | Federal EIN Number: 90-1021189

The Utah Prisoner Advocate Network (UPAN) is a registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Your contributions are tax-deductible and directly support our mission to create positive change. Information about an UPAN’s tax-exempt status and filings can be found on the IRS website. To make a donation and join our efforts, please visit our Donations page.

Contact us

Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 464
Draper, UT 84020

Leave Us a Message

Make a Donation