Deseret News | Reader comments: Lawmakers call escape 'terrible failure'

Reader comments
Lawmakers call escape 'terrible failure'

Anonymous | 8:31 a.m. Oct. 18, 2007

Patterson is part of the problem. He is blaming everyone else. Daggett County, the jailer who lost his job, etc. Patterson is in over his head. The favoritism still continues at Corrections. The got rid of a few people to put on a show and them filled the positions with the buddy system. Patterson needs to be one of the changes and he needs to take the responsibility for the problem!

Double Standard | 9:54 a.m. Oct. 18, 2007

The legislature sure is quick to point blame on others... What they lack is the courage to realize that with their pompous arrogant attitudes in not adequately funding ALL STATE programs, THEY ARE THE PROBLEM!!!

Anonymous | 10:19 a.m. Oct. 18, 2007

I don't know anything about funding state programs or if Patterson is the problem all I know is that if two criminals convicted of murder where not even sitting in jail those two would not have been a problem whatsoever. Eye for an eye.

Comments continue below

I Look Like Lois | 10:39 a.m. Oct. 18, 2007

I agree with the legislators. The person at the top in any organization, especially a public agency, has the responsibility for the bad stuff that occurs. Corrections should protect the safety of the public above all else. What was the Governor thinking when he appointed Patterson? Corrections is obviously riddled with problems and Huntsman picked a weak administrator with no experience in the corrections field. AND the media has given Patterson and corrections a stay-off-the-media-bladk-list-free card and villified Dagget Co. jail and the local officer.

Mightyhunterhaha | 10:40 a.m. Oct. 18, 2007

Blame it on this blame it on that. The Legislature and the State of Utah are very good at assessing blame. These problems have exisited for 20 years or more. Now the new guy on the block gets the blame. The blame lies with the Governor, The Legislature and the State of Utah. Fund the Department of Corrections. Stop putting money into studies to privatize. Stop the bleeding in Corrections by paying the staff so they stay. They are missing 25% of their staff, so how effective can they be in performing thier jobs?

samhill | 10:39 a.m. Oct. 18, 2007

And, of course, we mustn't forget the recent screwup that allowed a violent career criminal to be released in SLC because the D.A.'s office failed to process the paperwork on time. He's already suspected in several bank heists.

There had better be some real, substantial improvements in the handling of this societal sludge, and soon. It's only a matter of time before someone gets killed by one of them.

Chris Q. Public | 11:12 a.m. Oct. 18, 2007

Executive Director Patterson and Sen. Bill Hickman, R-St. George both owe the some 2000 dedicated men and women of the UT Dept. of Corrections an apology. Sen Hickman for disparaging the compentence of these dedicated and obviously unappreciated individuals who handle our society's dirty laundry; and Director Patterson for so meekly submitting to Sen. Hickman's insult. This may have been a failure of the DOC's oversight of these county jails, but it was also a failure of the security, or lack thereof, policies and procedures in place at the Daggett County Jail. Lastly, and most importantly, it was a "dramatic failure" of the Utah State Legislature (yes you Sen. Hickman) to adequately fund the DOC, which has resulted in this program of farming out inmates to county jails. Sen. Hickman you get what you pay for, and if you had any integrity you would own this responsibility rather than pushing it off onto underpaid and over worked state employees.

UDC Pencil Pusher | 12:43 p.m. Oct. 18, 2007

UDC Problems... Yes!
1. We have a NON-Correctional Executive Director. We need Scott Carver Back as Executive director.
2. Blame... the Legislature for their lack of foresight to fully fund the department of Corrections.
3. Solution. Fund more beds. Fund more Correctional Officers... Damn the UEA and their Cry Baby attitudes.
4. Damn the Legislature for FAILING to Fund the Departments need for Correctional Officers, AP&P Agents and Beds for the CREAM OF THE CRUD of society.
5. Shame on the LEGISLATURE.
6. Shame of the Gov. Huntsman for putting a flunkie as the Executive Director of Corrections.

Fed Up | 12:51 p.m. Oct. 18, 2007

Mightyhunterhaha and Chris Q. Public are right. Patterson inherited this problem, largely brought on by the legislature's failure to properly fund corrections over many, many years. They have ignored glaring problems, such as overpopulation, or tried to address them by funding privatization studies. Privatizing does not work. It saves the state no money. Also, it does nothing to relieve the state of liability when someting goes wrong. Privatization is a joke. Any way you slice it, the blame for the escapes rests squarely on the shoulders of the legislature.

beentheredonethat | 1:01 p.m. Oct. 18, 2007

The heart of the problem is the legislature. They bear primary responsibility for this and other public safety fiascos of recent years. Instead of building real prisons for real felons and funding adequately for enough staff, they opted to take the cheep rout. Contracting with counties to put inmates in their jails creates significant short-term savings. Most current legislators can only see into the future as far as their next election. They knowingly decided to place hundreds of state inmates in county jails that have never been and never will be as secure as a prison. Then, they get to campaign on how fiscally responsible they are and how they keep taxes low. What they have really done though is ignored and deferred a huge problem, (building enough secure prisons to house state inmates), to another generation. In the process, they have compromised the safety of every single person in this state because inmates in jails and prison are being housed at dangerously low security levels. We have just begun to pay the piper. Who knows how the next legislature will further erode public safety in the name of fiscal responsibility and who may die because of it.

Fed Up | 1:21 p.m. Oct. 18, 2007

To: beentheredonethat.

You are absolutely right.
I just hope the legislature wakes up before it's too late. However, I wouldn't count on that. If they wake up at all, it will likely be after someone is seriously hurt, or killed. But wait, didn't that already happen with dirtbag Allgier?? Well, esteemed legislature, the ball is in your court. Do something right for once, and take care of the D.O.C. and it's employees.

some one has died | 1:54 p.m. Oct. 18, 2007

One comenter said Its only a matter of time before someone gets killed. well people some one has been killed, Sergeant Anderson's death is a direct result of the failure of our legislature to properly fund the D.O.C. he would have not been alone on that transport had there been enough money in the budget to provide real security. And I for one want to thank the D.O.C. for all they do with the little they are given by the Legislature. I ask you, when was the last time an inmate escaped from the actual prison? its been a long long time, and they accomplish this with a 25% deficit in there staffing. the blame rest on the shoulders of the Legislature and the Governor.

Anonymous for a reason | 10:49 p.m. Oct. 18, 2007

I worked in corrections for many years and finally left for a good paying job with the county. Not enough money is absolutely right, but I've got to tell you that Carver was the best director I've ever seen. He was run out on a political rail and Patterson is a fish completely out of water. He had no business ever being the director. He is a nice guy but totally incompetent as a director. His staff is no better either. They are all buddies who are there because of favoritism. Huntsman and his guys are just as incompetent. They have no idea what they are doing either. Senator Butters and Kelly Atkinson made sure Huntsman was embarrassed so they could toss out the best director we ever had and now we're seeing the price or political game playing. I'm just glad I'm out of there.

Marry Kay Owens | 11:05 p.m. Oct. 18, 2007

My first husband died at the hands of an escaped felon. I follow the news on corrections because of that. I am so disappointed that the governor doesn't have a competent director over the department. We need an experienced administrator that can raise morale and make persuasive arguments to the legislature to fund the department. Most of all we need to somehow insulate the department from the politics of personal agendas of people like Senator Chris Butters that resulted in the current situation. I hope nobody has to go through what I went through.

Sherm Johanson | 11:19 p.m. Oct. 18, 2007

Can anyone really tell me why Tom Patterson was made Executive Director of UDOC? Honestly, why would a guy with zero experience ever get a position to watch over the largest department in the state. Is anyone home in the Governor's Mansion up there in Salt Lake. Sometimes I think we need a king instead of an incompetent citizen governor who got in there because of his daddy's money.

bigbear | 2:26 p.m. Oct. 19, 2007

They thought that changing Directors would change things and that morale would get better, well sorry to tell you nothing has changed. In fact it has gotten worse, they are firing people for minimal things at the prison, making it where everybody else has to pick up the load.
Sen. Bil Hickman wants to got to the bottom of the problem, well all he has to do is look in the mirror, along with all his other cohorts.

You have under funded the Department of Corrections for years. Inmates in the county jails was suppose to be a temporary solution back when Bangeter was in office. That was along time ago, and the reason it continues is because of you Mr. Senator and the rest of your Buddies on Capital Hill.

So I hope you all can wake up and see that you the legitlature is the problem for under funding the Department of Correction for years. But I don't put my hope in you guys ever waking up. But I pray that I could be wrong.

me | 10:48 a.m. Oct. 24, 2007

everyone get over it

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Lawmakers call escape 'terrible failure'

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Reader comments Lawmakers call escape 'terrible failure'

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Lawmakers call escape 'terrible failure'