Background:
In October of 2021, the Utah Commission on Crime and Juvenile Justice (“CCJJ”) began holding the Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI) Listening Tours throughout the State of Utah. CCJJ was joined in the endeavor with the primary statewide agencies involved in criminal justice including; the Department of Corrections, the Board of Pardons and Parole, the Department of Public Safety, the Administrative Office of the Courts, the Division of Juvenile Justice Services, the Department of Human Services, and the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health. The meetings, held on the following dates and corresponding locations, were open to the public and conducted using a town hall style format:
- 10/07/2021 Hyrum Civic Center - 83 West Main Hyrum, Utah
- 10/08/2021 Uintah County Building - 152 East 100 North, Vernal, Utah
- 10/26/2021 Utah State Hospital Chapel - 1300 East Center Street, Provo, Utah
- 10/29/2021 Capitol Boardroom 350 State Street, Salt Lake City, Utah
- 11/05/2021 Salt Lake County Sheriff - 3365 South 900 West, Salt Lake City, Utah
- 11/08/2021 Moab SpringHill Suites - 1865 North Hwy 191, Moab, Utah
- 11/15/2021 Snow College Richfield Campus - 800 West 200 South, Richfield, Utah
- 11/15/2021 Heritage Center Theater - 105 North 100 East, Cedar City, Utah
- 11/18/2021 Bountiful City Hall - 795 South Main Street, Bountiful, Utah
The purpose of the tour was to create a conversation and an opportunity for people to share their suggestions, ideas, thoughts, concerns, and issues with JRI and the criminal justice community in Utah. The listening tour was not conducted in a “question and answer” format and the panelists did not generally respond to statements made by criminal justice stakeholders or other members of the public.
As a disclaimer, the following synopsis is what was heard and some of the statements may lack factual support. However, a concern on the part of the speaker was raised, and it is critical to receive and document the feedback to ensure steps are taken to improve the initiative. This transparency report is an attempt to summarize key themes and issues elevated during the course of the listening tours. It is not exhaustive in nature; however, it is a good faith attempt to capture both specific and general elements brought forth throughout the tours. This report does not represent a verbatim rendition of all that was shared, nor should it be considered as a transcript of those engagements. The actual recordings from each session are available here.
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