UDC tells lawmakers it needs funds for operations, OTrack modernization and more contracted beds as auditors cite placement improvements

The Utah Department of Corrections (UDC) briefed the Criminal Justice Appropriations Subcommittee on agency performance, efficiency follow-ups and budget requests, saying staffing gains have reduced overtime and that continued investment is needed for operations, technology and capacity.

LFA and audit staff overview

Nate Osborne of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst's (LFA) office walked members through the department's budget on the legislative budget site, emphasizing that corrections is heavily funded by the state general fund and that personnel costs dominate the agency's expenditures. The LFA presented a proposed 5% reduction exercise that identified line-item cuts and one-time funding adjustments as possible savings targets, but warned many cuts would reduce services because the agency is personnel-heavy.

Proposed reductions and impacts

LFA listed potential reductions including an ongoing $4.6 million reduction tied to behavioral-health treatment center operating expenses and a $60 million one‑time capital funding column tied to capital projects. Other items in the 5% exercise included a proposed one-time $1.5 million reduction tied to the Orange Street Community Correctional Center, elimination of a $1.5 million employment-incentive general-fund transfer, recruiting-consolidation savings of about $332,600, a $300,000 ongoing travel and training cut, a roughly $1.5 million adjustment from vacant-position personnel savings, and about $92,000 in vehicle-related savings. LFA stressed that some identified savings have already been reallocated to essential operations.

Efficiency evaluation: inmate placement

Auditors reviewed the inmate-placement efficiency evaluation (released July 2024) and said UDC has implemented flowcharts and standardized criteria for placement decisions. The audit team reported a 14-day improvement in Board of Pardons scheduling/early-release timing associated with the work, and said the evaluation is being tracked on the auditors' implementation status dashboard.

UDC presentation and requests

Jared Garcia, Executive Director of UDC, described continued improvements in recruitment and retention (more than 400 officers hired in two years) and a reduction in overtime costs. He detailed the agency's base budget (just over $483 million) and line-item breakdowns: prison operations (~$220 million), adult probation and parole ($86.5 million), reentry and rehabilitation (~$67 million), administration (~$56.5 million), and jail contracting (~$53 million).

Population and capacity numbers provided by UDC

UDC reported approximately 6,463 incarcerated individuals under state supervision: 3,101 at the Utah State Correctional Facility (about 2,723 male and 378 female in the numbers provided), 1,725 at Gunnison, and roughly 1,637 in county jails through contracting; total bed capacity is 7,220. The department said its adult probation and parole caseload is about 16,491 (12,604 on probation and 3,887 on parole).

Budget requests in governor's proposal

UDC said the governor's budget includes: $3.5 million ongoing for building operations and maintenance, $1.5 million one-time for overtime, $5.0 million one-time for modernization of the agency's offender-tracking system (referred to in testimony variously as "Otrack/OTRAC"), $3.5 million one-time for business operations, and $3.2 million ongoing for jail contracting. UDC also asked to increase its contracted-bed maximum by 84 beds (the current contractual cap with county partners) to create runway for the department's tiered-housing model and to manage capacity pressures.

Capacity outlook and near-term choices

Garcia told legislators that statewide bed capacity is likely to be strained in 2–3 years; UDC said it has used internal levers (time-cut scheduling improvements, discretionary-move criteria, contracting flexibility) to delay a capacity shortfall and that opening an additional housing unit ("Bear 3") would provide short-term relief. Agency leaders warned that cuts to community correction centers or reentry programs could push more people into the prison system and have downstream effects on homelessness and emergency services.

Committee discussion and follow-up

Legislators praised staffing and culture improvements and asked for follow-up data (for example, the share of the population subject to mandatory-minimum sentencing). The committee approved minutes and adjourned; members asked the department to provide requested follow-up materials and to work with LFA on any required line-item transfers.