H.C.R. 8 Enrolled
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8 LONG TITLE
9 General Description:
10 This concurrent resolution of the Legislature and the Governor addresses the relocation
11 of the Utah Sate Prison.
12 Highlighted Provisions:
13 This resolution:
14 . concludes that it is in the best interests of the state to move the state prison from its
15 current location in Draper;
16 . resolves that the prison should be relocated from its current location;
17 . identifies factors that should be given careful, serious, and deliberate consideration
18 in the process of relocating the prison; and
19 . directs that a copy of the resolution be given to various persons.
20 Special Clauses:
21 None
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23 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
24 WHEREAS, the question of whether to move the Utah State Prison from its current
25 location in Draper has received much attention and study, including the work of the Prison
26 Relocation and Development Authority (PRADA) over the past two years and an in-depth
27 study commissioned by PRADA;
28 WHEREAS, the decisions of where and how to relocate prison facilities must be given
29 careful, serious, and deliberate consideration, taking into account many important factors,
30 including:
31 a. whether to locate new prison facilities on land already owned by the state or on land
32 that is currently in public or private ownership but that the state may acquire or lease;
33 b. the efforts of the Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice to evaluate criminal
34 justice policies to increase public safety, reduce recidivism, and reduce prison population
35 growth should be supported;
36 c. new prison facilities should be conducive to future inmate programming that
37 encourages a reduction in recidivism;
38 d. the location of new prison facilities should help facilitate an adequate level of
39 volunteer and staff support that will allow for a correctional program that is commensurate
40 with the high standards that should be maintained in the state;
41 e. new prison facilities should be located within a reasonable distance of
42 comprehensive medical facilities;
43 f. new prison facilities should be located to be compatible with surrounding land uses
44 for the foreseeable future;
45 g. new prison facilities should be supported by one or more appropriations from the
46 Legislature;
47 h. the preparation of performance specifications for new prison facilities, to facilitate a
48 high quality correctional program, and for the use of the current prison site should be designed
49 to maximize the overall value to taxpayers;
50 i. construction should be phased in over a period of time;
51 j. every reasonable effort should be made to maximize efficiencies and cost savings
52 that result from building and operating newer, more efficient prison facilities;
53 k. access to courts, visiting and public access, expansion capabilities, emergency
54 response factors, and the availability of infrastructure should be given careful and serious
55 consideration;
56 l. the existing relationship between the state and counties regarding the housing of state
57 prisoners in county facilities should be respected, and serious consideration should be given to
58 the role county jails and sheriffs can play in the future in terms of housing prisoners and
59 possibly moderating the need for the state to build and maintain additional prison facilities; and
60 m. the land on which the current prison is located in Draper should be used, disposed
61 of, or redeveloped through an orderly, competitive, and open process, with the goal of
62 maximizing the economic development potential of the property and achieving the greatest
63 benefit to the state's taxpayers;
64 WHEREAS, the citizens of the state will be best served by a relocation of the current
65 prison facilities, as these and other relevant factors guide the decisions of where and how to
66 move the current prison facilities; and
67 WHEREAS, considering all relevant factors, including the substantial expense that will
68 be required in coming years to maintain, replace, expand, and upgrade existing prison facilities
69 at the Draper location, the cost savings to be realized over time from new, more efficient
70 facilities, the opportunity to tailor new facilities to any improved correctional programs, and
71 the substantial economic and other benefits from changing the use of the current prison
72 property, it is sound public policy and in the best interests of the state to move the prison
73 facilities from their current location in Draper:
74 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
75 Governor concurring therein, that the Utah State Prison facilities currently located in Draper
76 should be relocated from that site to one or more other suitable locations in the state.
77 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the relocation of prison facilities should be guided
78 by the principles stated in paragraphs a through m of this resolution.
79 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Utah
80 Department of Corrections, the Prison Relocation and Development Authority, and the
81 members of Utah's congressional delegation.
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