Oxbow remains divisive for state

Tired of messing around with Salt Lake County in an attempt to buy its Oxbow jail, state corrections officials say the Legislature should just decide to either build a new prison for women inmates in Draper or expand the Gunnison prison.

But legislative bosses told Corrections Executive Director Mike Chabries this past week to explore a long-term lease with the county for Oxbow — a new jail the county built but is not using. County officials offered the jail for sale to the state earlier this year, but now the County Council has rejected that idea, saying the county will need the jail space down the road.

Rep. Ron Bigelow, co-chairman of the Executive Appropriations Committee, said Oxbow doesn't fit state needs now and a lease won't solve the state's long-term housing needs for female prisoners, either.

"We're better off now to just build" a new 550-bed prison specifically designed for female inmates at the Draper site, said Bigelow, R-West Valley.

That would cost between $34 million and $50 million and take two years to construct, said Chabries.

Another option is to build another pod at the current Gunnison prison in Sanpete County. That would cost $8.8 million in concrete and bricks, and about another $5 million to extend infrastructure to the new building, corrections officials said. It could be finished in a year, if construction started soon.

"We need a decision," Chabries said.

But the Legislature doesn't meet again until January, and even then long-term construction needs may not be decided.

That's because the Board of Pardons has been releasing some female inmates from prison early. And that program has bought corrections officials some time — although not much, Chabries said.

"When we met with you last month, we had no extra beds for women. Today we have 20 extra beds" because of early releases, he said.

Still, projections show there will be about 60 additional female inmates coming into the system every year, and about 192 additional male inmates.

Besides early release, Chabries said, a shift in male inmates will free up more space for women.

A 300-bed dormitory at the Draper site will be refitted for minimum-security male inmates on work release. The Promontory unit would then be utilized for a men's specialized treatment housing unit. And women would then be moved into what is now male housing in the Timpanogos facility.

Housing men and women in the same large unit causes problems, but that will be dealt with, said Chabries.

"If we don't do something, we'll be out of funding for extra beds come September," he said.

It's likely, he added, corrections officials will come to lawmakers next January and ask for supplemental funds to pay for more state inmates to be housed in county jails.

---

E-mail: bbjr@desnews.com