UTAH, April 30, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — Utah Department of Corrections announced Friday that, starting in early June, in-person visiting and volunteer and religious services will resume at the Utah State Prison in Draper and the Central Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison.
“Our incarcerated population have not seen their family in-person for more than a year,” said Brian Nielson, executive director for the Utah Department of Corrections. “Throughout this pandemic the incarcerated have shown great fortitude in adhering to COVID-19 guidelines in order to help slow the spread of the virus.”
Visits and services will roll out in a phased approach in order to adhere closely to COVID-19 protocols, including social distancing, face coverings, temperature checks and screening questions, the news release said.
“We appreciate state and local health officials for their continued support and guidance on navigating the pandemic,” Nielson said. “And finally, I would be remiss if I did not thank our incredible staff who have worked diligently to make this happen, and have been nimble since the outset of the pandemic to adapt to ongoing changes.”
In March 2020, all in-person visiting was suspended and supplemented with 10 free 15-minute phone calls per week.
The department plans to continue providing video visits when in-person visiting resumes.
For those planning in-person visits, visitor applications must be approved. Find more information here.
Volunteers can communicate with the department’s programming division by emailing [email protected].
