Latest News
10th Circuit sides with Utah prison officers in suit over inmate suicide. The grandmother of an inmate who died by suicide sued the Utah Department of Corrections in 2016, claiming the use of solitary confinement on a person at risk of suicide amounted to cruel and unusual punishment.
www.courthousenews.com/10th-circuit-sides-with-utah-prison-officers-in-suit-over-inmate-suicide/
10th Circuit sides with Utah prison officers in suit over inmate suicide
www.courthousenews.com
The grandmother of an inmate who died by suicide sued the Utah Department of Corrections in 2016, claiming the use of solitary confinement on a person at risk of suicide amounted to cruel and unusual punishment.WTF? “the CUCF defendants’ general use of punitive isolation to discipline prisoners who happen to be mentally ill does not violate clearly established law."
Weber County incarcerated person dies while in custody
Weber County inmate dies while in custody
www.abc4.com
WEBER COUNTY, Utah (ABC4) – The Weber County Sheriff’s Office says an inmate that was in custody at Weber County Correctional Facility has passed away. According to a press release, the…“Two state legislators, Rep. Lowry Snow, R-Santa Clara, and Sen. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, plan to introduce legislation in the upcoming session that would repeal capital punishment and replace it with the option of 45 years to life in prison. The other existing alternatives, life in prison or a 25-years-to-life term, would remain.”
Effort to end the death penalty in Utah gaining support - utpolunderground
utpolunderground.com
A push to abolish the death penalty is gaining steam in Utah, with support along the political spectrum. Two state legislators, Rep. Lowry Snow, R-Santa Clara, and Sen. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, plan to introduce legislation in the upcoming session that would repeal capital punishment and replace it wi...FDA clears Moderna and J&J Covid vaccine boosters, allows ‘mix and match’ shots
FDA clears Moderna and J&J Covid vaccine boosters, allows 'mix and match' shots
cnb.cx
The FDA authorized Covid vaccine booster shots made by J&J and Moderna, another critical step in distributing extra doses to tens of millions of people.Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office looks to fill 100+ openings
Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office looks to fill 100+ openings
ksltv.com
Right now there are 40 Correction Deputy positions open at the jail, out of 427 total positions."There is a public health imperative. What we're seeing is this is a group with overall lower efficacy than we have seen with the mRNA vaccine, and so there is some urgency to do something," said Dr. Arnold Monto, an epidemiologist at the University of Michigan's School of Public Health who chaired the meeting. Many of Utah’s incarcerated population received the J&J vaccine. It’s still unknown when booster vaccinations will be available to this population.
Second J&J COVID shot gets expert backing; FDA looking at lowering age for Pfizer booster
www.reuters.com
Outside advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday unanimously recommended the agency authorize a second shot of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine for all recipients of the one-dose inoculation.UPAN is pleased to partner with US Dream Academy which offers free services for children of prisoners. Located online or in West Valley City!
Julia has an important message today: She wants you to remember that no matter what your loved one is accused of, you can still love them!
Matt Duhamel of The Outspoken Offender, interviews Julia Lazareck on her podcast to discuss the backstory behind her book Prison: The Hidden Sentence. prisonthehiddensentence.com/podcasts/julia-lazareck-shares-the-backstory-of-prison-the-hidden-sen...
Julia Lazareck Shares The Backstory Of “Prison: The Hidden Sentence” With Matt Duhamel
prisonthehiddensentence.com
Matt Duhamel ofThe Outspoken Offenderpodcast comes in to interview Julia Lazarecktodiscuss the backstory behindPrison: The Hidden Sentence™.Thanks for sharing Utah Prisoner Advocate Network!
A U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics report made public this week showed that Utah had 85 jail suicides per 100,000 inmates in 2015-19, compared with the national average of 48. www.standard.net/police-fire/2021/oct/08/utahs-jail-suicide-rate-remains-at-twice-the-national-av...
Utah’s jail suicide rate remains at twice the national average
www.standard.net
Utah’s rate of suicide in county jails has remained at almost twice the national average, according to the latest statistics released by the federal government. A U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics report made public this week showed that Utah had 85 jail suicides per 100,000 inmates in 2015-19, co...We need to do something about this, our prison system is flawed!!! Why can no one see it
This is a strange one. Utah has whites as a percentage of the prison population nearly twice the national average. Whites commit suicide at a rate more than twice as high as Blacks or Hispanics. So this is simply a reflection of greater society. The question is why do White men and Native Americans commit so much suicide?
The U.S. Dream Academy has partnered with UPAN to provide services to families. They are a local non-profit after school organization located in West Valley, Utah. They are dedicated to serving under-supported youth who come from families with a history of incarceration, who are struggling academically, or who live in communities with high rates of crime. As part of their after-school program, they also offer virtual classes and activities!
These include:
- Dance, cooking, yoga, & art classes
- Virtual Field Trips
- In person meet-ups
- Kahoot competitions
They also offer Flikshop credits for students who qualify!
Their registration is open, and you can register at this link, or scan the QR code forms.gle/jtRqwKEbHvJK3wT5A.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Amber Hesleph at [email protected] ❤️
The October UPAN Newsletter is now available! Download to print and mail to your incarcerated loved ones. When printed on regular paper front and back and placed into a #10 envelope, you can mail this with a single first-class stamp.
mcusercontent.com/c10b610f53064099e317032f9/files/c58f9f6f-d6fb-5612-461e-b4e59b81a94b/UPANNewsVo...
How do I get my husband on the list to have him receive a newsletter every month?
Gerilee Wright. Volunteers only send a newsletter to inmates who have no one on the outside to do so. We ask that any incarcerated person with a family member or a friend on the outside to print it out front and back so it’s five pieces of paper and mail in to their loved one. Upan is all volunteer and has no funding sources so our volunteers send them in to people who know longer got anyone on the outside.
UPAN Monthly Meeting TONIGHT at 6:30 pm MDT. Zoom meeting discussing U.S. Dream Academy, compassionate release, board of pardons, JRI, new art exhibits, and more! - mailchi.mp/utahprisoneradvocate/october-2021
thank you for sharing Niko's story. I'm going to go see that exhibit!
I would like you to look into visiting and why we can’t have any contact between the inmate and their visitor/loved one. And keep in mind that I am fully aware of the COVID SITUATION (And the fact that when I email Visitation their answers are always the same “We have to follow cdc regulations” or “We have to Follow the Governor’s plan “ and lastly “We have to go by what the Utah board of Health says”) I also question who it’s really up to is it who I’ve previously mentioned or is it up to the Warden? (This would make sense because our current Warden who is against Visitation all together especially contact visits) I feel that if both the inmate and the person who is visiting do not have COVID-19 symptoms and are both vaccinated that contact visits should be allowed (and masks can be required still even) physical contact such as hugging and holding hands plays a Vital Role in keeping that important bond between inmates and their loved ones it’s desperately needed. I personally have not been able to even hug my LO for almost TWO YEARS! It’s not right to make people suffer like that!! (I even heard some of the CO’s say that it’s stupid and not necessary)
UPAN Monthly Meeting TONIGHT at 6:30 pm MDT. Zoom meeting discussing U.S. Dream Academy, compassionate release, board of pardons, JRI, new art exhibits, and more! - mailchi.mp/utahprisoneradvocate/october-2021
