Vol. 9 No. 1                                        Utah Department of Corrections                         January 5, 2007

       Inmate Placement Program

WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING?

INSIDE

County News  . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4

Haze Locke Retires . . . . . . . . . . . . .  4

The Informer

Inmate Placement Program

Tom Patterson, Acting Executive Director

Dave Worthington, Director of

Institutional Operations

Haze Locke, Director-Inmate Placement Program

Annie Hobbs, Mindy Williams – Editors

BEAVER COUNTY

Article by: Inmate Dennis Rosa-Re

 On Monday, November 27, 2006, the Beaver County Correctional Facility opened a new addition to their facility.  Total inmate capacity rose to 400, with 370 beds being for state contracted inmates.  This makes BCCF the State’s largest contracting facility with the Utah Department of Corrections.  In addition, BCCF correctional officers were increased to thirty-eight. 

Groundbreaking for the new addition started in early 2006.  Construction with Sahara Builders continued at a feverish pace until completion.  Jail Commander, Keith Draper, and Sergeant, Curt Heslington, were intensely involved with the expansion project from the onset of architectural design to the present running of the facility.

The new facility is made up of an additional eight housing units, and four programming classrooms.  High school classes have already expanded.  Computer Automated Design classes are scheduled to begin by Spring 2007, with additional college educational courses on the roster.

The LDS Church generously funded part of the new chapel, which also includes an attached classroom for programming purposes.  BCCF purchased the

new custom-made furniture for the administrative offices from Utah Corrections Industries. 

CACHE COUNTY

Inmates at the Cache County Jail are spending hours knitting stocking caps, blankets and booties for children in need.  Some of the articles will go to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints humanitarian efforts and others will supply an independent organization know as Save the Children. 

Save the Children will use the items in its effort to reduce infant mortality in developing countries.  The organization reports that 4 million infants die in their first month of life, half within 24 hours, because of inadequate care. 

Jail Administrators were cautious at first with a project that would require knitting needles – a potential weapon; however, no incidents have been reported since hat making began almost two years ago.  All knitting materials are collected and counted before the inmates return to their cells.

Inmates have knitted more than 300 hats this year, about ½ with matching booties.  They have also made a handful of mittens and several small blankets. 

MILLARD COUNTY

Millard County Jail is one of only a few county jails providing intensive in-patient treatment for offenders with substance abuse history and/or substance related crimes.  The program is called Starting-Over and runs for six to nine months.  Offenders are assessed and diagnosed to determine the need for treatment.  They use a modified Therapeutic Community (TC) approach.  Community members use positive peer pressure to hold each other to a higher standard.

A key characteristic of a TC is the ability to adjust to changes necessary for personal growth.  These changes come about by being held accountable for behavior (something very foreign to many offenders).  The TC is separate from general population.  They have a philosophy, motto and cardinal rules to help govern the direction of treatment. Each community member holds a job (mostly unpaid) as part of being in treatment.  Addiction is viewed as a disorder of the whole person and treatment revolves around mental and social functioning issues, poor impulse control, thinking errors, as well as educational deficits.

In order to facilitate the classes and groups, peers hold daily morning and evening meetings, seminars and special topic classes throughout the week.  Staff members monitor and assist on a regular basis.  Weekly group therapy and monthly individual therapy are paramount as an agent for change.

Residents of the Starting-Over program give back to the community by crocheting afghans, hats, booties, etc., that are donated to the local hospital, Newborns in Need and other organizations.

As with any treatment, change is a personal choice.  We at

Millard County offer offenders skills to help reduce the risk for relapse and therefore reduce recidivism.

So, ask yourself . . . . . . Warehousing or Rehabilitation?  We choose treatment.

WASATCH COUNTY

The Wasatch County Jail has reached out to the community again this year.  Inmates have been involved in several service projects throughout 2006.  Through these projects the inmates have given back to the residents of the county and to the people of other counties.  All of the service projects are done on a volunteer basis and the inmates are not only willing to help but also spark new ideas for service.

This year the jail made 150 school bags which contained paper, pencils, rulers and either a matchbox car or a handmade doll.  These bags were sent to Africa where our former Sheriff Michael Spanos was living.  These bags will be passed out to the poverty stricken children who live in the small villages in Africa.

The inmates also did a project for the homeless.  They have made hats, scarves and mittens from yarn that they purchased.  These items were taken to the Salt Lake area shelters at Christmas to be handed out to persons who are in need.

The inmates who work in the kitchen made gingerbread houses again this year to support the Wasatch/Summit Children’s Justice Center. 

These gingerbread houses are displayed as part of the Swiss Christmas celebration in Midway.

The houses are then sold at an auction to raise money for the center.

The inmate houses are always a highlight of the event and receive high honors and sell at top prices in the auction.

We have two work crews at the jail.  Jail staff supervises these work crews who provide grounds keeping and cleaning of City/County owned properties.  One of the buildings that the inmates have worked on this year was the new event center.  They assisted in installing all of the seats in the building and have helped to lay and remove the portable flooring depending on the type of event held in the center.

School is a top priority at the jail and we continue to have success with the educational programs.  In 2006 we had 7 inmates earn their high school diplomas from Wasatch High School through the jail education program and 7 inmates earned their GED.  This is not only a benefit to the inmates but also to their families and to the community.  It opens many doors to them that have been closed in the past.

We plan on continuing these programs as well as others through the coming year.

WASHINGTON COUNTY

The Purgatory garden has been put to winter.  There are only a few crops of yellow onion and cabbage still in the ground.  The freshly planted palm trees have suffered from the recent cold spell and may not survive.  However, the strawberry patch is doing well.  The green house is also full of overgrown tomato plants.

All the action is happening in front of where the new public safety building is being built.  Progress was slowed because they ran out of steel.  They are currently only about a week behind and it may have a roof on the second floor soon.  The state inmates will be assisting in some of the final finishing touches.  The building will house the Highway Patrol, AP&P and we hear Immigration and Customs Enforcement may also be included.  That will make it easy to transport offenders to the jail.

There have been many personnel changes at the Washington County Jail this year and Deputies have been working lots of extra shifts.  Hopefully the New Year will bring better results and far less incidents.  Lt. Standley will be covering the outside worker program and continue being the liaison for the jail.

HAZE LOCKE WILL BE RETIRING

Haze will be retiring from the Department of Corrections on January 15, 2007.  He has worked as the Director of the Inmate Placement Program (IPP) since 1988, when he was asked to head the new program.  When he first started he was the office staff, there were six inmates in one county jail.  After about two weeks he was given another staff member and the inmate count went up to 17 inmates in two county jails.  Today there are over 1400 inmates in 21 county jails and 23 IPP staff members.

Haze’s career has had many facets. 

1976 – 1979

Adult Correctional/Program Specialist, U.C.C.J.A.

1979 – 1982        

Director, Utah Council on Criminal Justice Administration, D.P.S.

1982 – 1983        

Director, Office of Planning and Research, D.P.S.

1983 – 1988        

Deputy Inspector General, D.O.C.

1988 -  Present   

Director, Inmate Placement Program, D.O.C.

Haze obtained a Master of Public Administration (emphasis in Police and Corrections Administration, in 1977 from Brigham Young University.  (We have to let this slide and not hold it against him.  It’s difficult sometimes!)

Haze has shared many stories over the years with us about the early days and how things have evolved into the program we now know.  Some of the stories we have been sworn to secrecy, never to repeat.  Haze’s knowledge is irreplaceable.  There isn’t anything about the program he doesn’t know. 

In December 1987 Haze was instrumental in bringing the Iron County State Correctional Facility, a joint facility with Iron County, on line.  The state and the county ran this facility until September 2002 when the county bought the facility from the state. 

Haze is greatly respected among the Sheriff’s, Jail Commanders, Jail staff and the IPP staff.   There isn’t a better boss around.  He has lead us with knowledge, kindness, compassion, passion for the program, and service.  I know you have heard this before, but this is truly heart felt. He will be sorely missed.  Haze is the Inmate Placement Program.