Change at Corrections called good first step

One day after Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. announced the removal of Scott Carver as executive director for the Utah Department of Corrections, feelings among some corrections employees can be summed up in one word: hope.

"I think the governor has done more for morale in the Department of Corrections in one day than what has happened in years," said Kelly Atkinson, executive director for the Utah Fraternal Order of Police, which has a lodge chapter for state corrections employees.

Atkinson said his organization believes Carver's removal is a first step but more needs to happen to cure what has been characterized by a scathing audit and by some lawmakers as an institutionalized system of favoritism and unethical behavior.

On Thursday evening, Huntsman announced he was replacing Carver with the current executive director for the Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, Tom Patterson. Carver has been placed in a governor's staff position as the director for the Utah Sentencing Commission.

The move came on the heels of a legislative audit, which reportedseveral instances of favoritism and policy violations, including the administration's stonewalling of internal investigations. One corrections official was documented lying to a highway patrol officer to get out of a speeding ticket. Later, the audit shows that same officer receiving a glowing employee review.

The audit also shows another corrections official, convicted of felony drug possession, was kept on the department payroll for six months to allow the employee to retire. There also are indications

of undocumented use of some 192 "commute vehicles," which the audit says were used as "perks" for select employees. The audit also notes that more than 100 corrections officers had fallen behind on their law enforcement training and no longer qualified for law enforcement certification.

Utah Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem, has said there is no excuse for such behavior and said there needs to be a change in attitude among the corrections administration. Valentine said he felt the problem goes beyond just one man, referring to the executive director.

Atkinson said the Fraternal Order of Police has recommended to the governor and incoming director Patterson the removal of all top administrative corrections brass. He said his group feels the source of the real problem has been with top administration officials and that Patterson will not be able to make any real changes unless heads roll.