Never mind that there's a civic responsibility aspect of monitoring your local jail, sometimes looking at the booking information is just darn fun.

Take this inmate from Utah County, who, please remember, has not yet been convicted. Maybe it's just me, but I find a disconnect between the suspected charges and the tattoos described on her feet.



— NC

Labels: jail/prisons

Tax revenues are declining across the United States -- and that might impact whether state and local governments provide information to the people.

In Illinois, there's doubt whether the state will finance a counselor who was to help citizens fight for records.

Here in Utah, records management may take a hit at the Utah Department of Corrections. Bruce Bailey, who was director of records at the department and had a role in responding to requests from journalists and citizens, sent an e-mail Wednesday saying his position was eliminated.

In a separate e-mail, department spokeswoman Angie Welling confirmed Bailey's post is one of 35 full-time positions the department plans to eliminate. Welling added:

I can assure you that the Department remains committed to transparency and openness, and we will not allow this commitment to slide as a result of the proposed changes. We're confident that we will continue to be responsive to records requests and we will see no fundamental change in our dedication to meeting these needs.

— NC

Labels: GRAMA, jail/prisons

The Utah Department of Corrections and some county jails did not come off well in a legislative audit released today. Among other things, the department did a poor job overseeing county jails where it keeps inmates, the audit says.

Meanwhile, journalists and the public aren't allowed to oversee much of what Corrections or the jails are doing. Earlier this year, Corrections denied a records request I made for inspection reports of county jails.

The State Records Committee sided with Corrections. The committee agreed a state statute preventing the release of "security measures" applied to the inspection reports. The theory is an inmate could use the information in the inspection to plot an escape. That the public should be informed of dangers at a jail is not to be considered, Corrections and the committee decided.

And while today's audit recommended improving the jail inspection process and documentation, Correction's non-disclosure policy and the records committee's ruling stands. So Utah could have the best and safest penitentiaries and jails in the world — or the worst — and we aren't allowed to know.

— NC

Labels: GRAMA, jail/prisons, secrecy, State Records Committee

Friday morning I spoke by telephone with Nolberto Machiche, of the media relations department for the Arizona Department of Corrections, who said he would inquire why I was prohibited from attending Addam Swapp's parole hearing in spring 2007 while the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer was permitted into the state's prisons.

In general, Machiche said, Arizona corrections allows journalists and cameras into its prisons for special projects or by special invitation when the corrections department wants to discuss "its goals."

Arizona corrections, Machiche said, invited the NewsHour so it could see some of its inmate programs.

"Every case is different," Machiche said. "Everything is a case by case kind of thing."

This contradicts what I was told in 2007. Machiche was not with the department then and pointed me to policies posted on the Arizona corrections Website.

-- nc

Labels: jail/prisons