More than 2,400 incarcerated individuals were moved to the new Utah State Correctional Facility this week, a “monumental task” that followed the June completion of the prison, which marked the largest construction project in state history.
All 2,464 prisoners were transferred as of Friday afternoon. Upon arrival, each individual received a complimentary commissary bag of snacks and hygiene products, according to a news release from the Utah Department of Corrections.
“This transfer required tremendous forethought and coordination given the logistics and security concerns,” Gov. Spencer Cox said a statement. “Ensuring a safe and secure move to our new state-of-the-art corrections facility was a monumental task and we congratulate everyone involved on a job well done.”
The new 200-acre facility is located 5 miles west of the Salt Lake City Airport and features increased daylight for both incarcerated individuals and staff and new programming opportunities, aimed to help individuals better re-enter society, the release states.
The Department of Corrections said normal prison operations, including programming and visiting, will resume as early as Monday.
The process of sending mail to people in prison will not change, though officials noted that the address will. The new prison mailing address will be provided when normal operations resume.
Any mail already sent to the old Draper address will be automatically forwarded to the new prison, officials said.
For more information on updated processes regarding visiting, mailing and property pickup, families and loved ones of those incarcerated can visit corrections.utah.gov/move-to-uscf/.
The facility’s construction was initially slated to cost $550 million in 2016. But costs ballooned to $1.05 billion by its June ribbon cutting.
Utah officials on Tuesday announced a collection of developers that the state chose as its chief partner for The Point, the huge development planned at the former Draper prison site.
