HELP WANTED: PROGRAM CONSULTANT WANTED. SALARY JUST INCREASED FROM 200K to 500K!

That got your attention? It would me too. But the sad thing is that this is a real offer from the Utah Prison Relocation Authority Committee. They just voted on September 16th to increase the monetary offer!

And this is YOUR tax money at work!  It affects YOUR pocketbook! Wouldn’t it be nice to see this 500K spent on something else? Think about how this money could help the programming at the state prison in Draper and Gunnison. Think about how this money could help the public school system. Teachers could, and would, find a good way to spend this money!

Why is it that this committee, PRADA, is so hell-bent on rushing through all of this? To spend 800 million (again, YOUR money) to rebuild something that, in reality, is not broken, is ludicrous! The only thing I can think of is that the ones who are pushing this are builders themselves with a huge interest in this pot of gold.

Rep. Brad Wilson, R- Kaysville is challenging the committee’s “slowness”. This is interesting that he is pushing this to move faster. He is, as he said at the most recent public meeting, “a home builder”.  Is it that he hopes to add “builder of prisons” to his vitae?

Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams, another member of the committee, said he has still not decided whether the cost of moving the prison is worth it to taxpayers.  Finally, someone is thinking about the taxpayers!

Taxpayers….you need to make your voice heard! Do not let this committee take money out of your pockets to pay for this position!

UDC - You Do Not Own Them!

“We provide food, clothes, medicines, everything. They now belong to us.” Words uttered at a recent Family Orientation meeting for the Utah Department of Corrections. 

Interesting! Yes, our loved one is in your care, your custody. But, I disagree with the blanket statement that you now own them!

Our loved ones will NEVER be owned by the UDC! You might have them in your facility but contrary to what the officers think and feel, YOU DO NOT OWN THEM! They are our brother, uncle, sister, aunt, daughter, son, mother, father, husband, wife! They belong to us - their families.

Each and everyone who is a “guest” of the UDC have someone, somewhere. Now there might be those whose families have given up on them. But, I think that for the majority of the “guests”, this is not the case. Family members provide support beyond the walls.

Many of the Offenders are trying to fight their conviction, for whatever reason. Help from with the walls is almost nonexistent. Contract attorneys are available but from my understanding, they do the bare minimum in the way of helping get legal information to the Offender. With no law books available to those inside the walls, this battle is almost always a losing one. Deadlines to file are missed because the necessary information is not received in time. There are delays in the mail room; briefs are not mailed out in a timely manner. All of this makes it almost impossible for the Offender to help him/herself.

With family and friends supporting them and doing the necessary “legwork”, briefs do get filed. Challenges are written and submitted. Medical care is followed up on by the family. All of these things are done by those who care….by those who OWN that human being….the FAMILY.

So please, do not say that you, the UDC, OWN our loved ones….you do not. Please remember that!