The Utah Department of Corrections (UDC) is the state agency that manages Utah's adult correctional system. For many years, the department's main prison operated from the former Utah State Prison in Draper, Utah — the address that appears in older records. In a historic transition completed in July 2025, UDC moved to a brand-new facility: the Utah State Correctional Facility (USCF) in Salt Lake City. This modern campus is now the agency's primary adult correctional institution. UDC also operates the Central Utah Correctional Facility (CUCF) in Gunnison.
The administrative offices associated with our database record are at 14717 South Minuteman Drive, Draper, UT 84020 — the site of the former prison campus. Current UDC operations and mail are handled through the new Salt Lake City facility. The UDC main phone line is 801-545-5500, and the agency's full resources are available at corrections.utah.gov.
Our directory holds over 12,374 historical arrest and booking records linked to Utah correctional facilities — a cumulative count over time, not a current population figure. Federal survey data for this facility recorded a rated and design capacity of 1,172, a peak population of 625, with approximately 481 adult men and 117 adult women in custody at the time of the most recent census. The facility also has a formal work release program.
The New Utah State Correctional Facility: A Historic Transition
The move from the aging Draper prison to the new Utah State Correctional Facility in Salt Lake City was one of the most significant transitions in Utah corrections history. Governor Spencer Cox cut the ribbon for USCF on June 22, 2025, and UDC completed the full move in July 2025. The new facility was designed with modern correctional best practices in mind — improved sight lines, dedicated programming spaces, mental health housing units, and updated infrastructure throughout.
The Bear 3 housing unit at USCF opened on June 1, 2026, expanding the facility's housing capacity and updating the visiting schedule to accommodate tiered housing assignments. Families should confirm which housing unit their loved one is in and check the current schedule for that specific unit before planning a visit, as the schedule has been updated with Bear 3's integration.
Utah's state imprisonment rate is approximately 166 per 100,000 residents — one of the lowest in the United States, reflecting Utah's demographics, strong community and faith-based support systems, and policies that emphasize treatment alternatives. The state's prison population stands around 5,441, with an additional 7,300 in local jails. The local jail population exceeding the prison population is relatively unusual and reflects Utah's significant pretrial and short-sentence county jail population.
Utah's Correctional Facilities
UDC operates two primary institutions:
- Utah State Correctional Facility (USCF), Salt Lake City: The new primary adult correctional facility, housing both men and women across multiple security levels. The facility's urban Salt Lake City location provides greater proximity to family networks and employment opportunities for work release participants than the former Draper location. Mail address: PO Box 165300, Salt Lake City, UT 84116.
- Central Utah Correctional Facility (CUCF), Gunnison: Located in rural Sanpete County in central Utah, approximately 150 miles south of Salt Lake City. Houses adult men primarily. Mail address: PO Box 550, Gunnison, UT 84634.
How to Find an Inmate in Utah
To locate someone in Utah's correctional system:
- PrisonAssist.com: Search by name to check our directory for Utah facility records.
- UDC Offender Search Tool: Available at corrections.utah.gov, this tool allows name and offender ID searches and shows current housing assignments, including the specific housing unit within USCF or CUCF — important for scheduling visits through the unit-specific schedule.
- Visitation hotline: Call 801-522-7046 if the online search is unavailable. Email [email protected] for written inquiries.
- Phone: Call UDC at 801-545-5500 for general assistance.
For people recently arrested who are not yet sentenced, they will be held in a county jail — contact the relevant county sheriff's jail for booking information. State prison intake follows sentencing to a term typically exceeding one year.
Visitation at Utah Correctional Facilities
UDC's visitation process has been updated with the new USCF facility and the June 2026 Bear 3 integration. Here is the full current process:
Step 1: Find the Housing Unit
Use the Offender Search Tool at corrections.utah.gov to determine which housing unit your loved one is assigned to. Visiting schedules at USCF are organized by housing unit — you need to know the specific unit to schedule correctly.
Step 2: Submit a Visitor Application
Visitor applications take 6–8 weeks to process. Mail or deliver the completed application form, the signed consent form, a copy of your photo ID, and any other required documentation to:
Utah State Correctional Facility Visiting Office, PO Box 165300, Salt Lake City, UT 84116. For the fastest response, email your application to [email protected]. For CUCF: PO Box 550, Gunnison, UT 84634; email [email protected]; phone 435-528-6266.
Begin this process as early as possible — 6–8 weeks is a long approval timeline. Attempting to visit without approval will result in denied entry.
Step 3: Schedule the Visit
Once approved, schedule visits through the Google Form links on the UDC visitation page at corrections.utah.gov. Video visits are available Monday through Thursday; in-person visits are available Friday through Sunday. The Bear 3 unit integration has updated the main USCF visiting schedule as of June 1, 2026 — confirm the specific schedule for your loved one's housing unit on the UDC website or via email.
Key Visitation Notes
- Email is UDC's primary communication channel for visiting. Do not rely on phone calls to confirm visit times the day of the visit. Submit all inquiries by email for the fastest response.
- Valid government-issued photo ID is required at the facility entrance.
- Dress code requirements apply — confirm restrictions before your visit.
- Staffing constraints may affect phone responsiveness — email is more reliable for getting a timely answer.
Mail in Utah: An Important Change Effective January 2025
The Utah Department of Corrections implemented a new mail processing system for all UDC facilities, effective January 5, 2026. Under this system, all personal (non-legal) mail from friends and family must be sent to UDC's central mail processing addresses — not directly to the facility. Mail sent directly to USCF or CUCF from friends and family will be denied.
The correct mailing addresses are:
- For USCF inmates: [Inmate's Name – Inmate ID #], Utah State Correctional Facility, PO Box 165300, Salt Lake City, UT 84116
- For CUCF inmates: [Inmate's Name – Inmate ID #], Central Utah Correctional Facility, PO Box 550, Gunnison, UT 84634
Under this centralized system, inbound non-legal mail is scanned and a printed color copy is delivered to the inmate — the original physical mail does not reach the facility. This system is designed to prevent contraband (including drug-infused paper) from entering facilities. In January 2026, UDC and a K-9 team publicized a drug-infused paper interdiction case under this system, demonstrating its effectiveness.
For photographs: Photos cannot be sent through the regular mail system. They must be submitted through approved vendors such as Pelipost or Flikshop, which handle the printing and submission process in compliance with UDC requirements.
Legal mail (from attorneys, courts, and government agencies) is still sent directly to the facility and may be subject to search. Do not send personal letters as legal mail — if identified as personal correspondence, they will be denied.
Our letter service handles the new Utah mail system requirements — we format your letter and submit it through the correct processing channel so it reaches your loved one without issues.
Phone Calls from Utah Correctional Facilities
Phone calls from USCF and CUCF are placed through contracted telephone carriers. Inmates add approved numbers to their call list through the carrier's platform. Family members fund prepaid accounts for economical per-minute rates. All calls are recorded and monitored except attorney-client calls. Our discounted phone call service further reduces rates, making regular contact affordable.
UDC has also been expanding tablet-based communication and programming access across its facilities as part of the new USCF's modern infrastructure. Confirm current tablet service availability with the specific facility.
Commissary, Money Deposits, and Care Packages
Commissary deposits for Utah DOC inmates are handled through contracted money transfer platforms — check the UDC website for currently accepted methods. Care packages must be ordered through UDC-approved vendors. Confirm the approved vendor list and permitted items at corrections.utah.gov before placing any order. Packages sent outside the approved system will be refused.
Work Release Program in Utah
UDC operates a work release program — one of the factors reflected in the federal survey data for this facility. Work release allows eligible inmates near the end of their sentences to work in the community during the day and return to the facility in the evenings. The program supports employment skill development, income savings, and community reintegration. The move of the primary facility to Salt Lake City from the more distant Draper location enhances the work release program's practical value — access to the Salt Lake City labor market is substantially better than from the remote Draper campus.
Bail in Utah
Bail in Utah is set by a justice court or district court judge at the initial appearance, typically within 72 hours of arrest. Utah uses a structured bail schedule for many offenses. A licensed Utah bail bondsman can post a surety bond for roughly 10% of the bail amount — non-refundable. Utah's courts also use a pretrial risk assessment and may release defendants on their own recognizance or under electronic monitoring conditions, rather than on cash bail, in lower-risk cases. Once sentenced and in UDC custody, bail is no longer applicable.
Parole, Supervision, and Reentry in Utah
Utah's Board of Pardons and Parole reviews cases for parole eligibility. The board evaluates the severity of the offense, institutional behavior, program participation, and available community support. In December 2025, Utah state agencies released the first comprehensive revision of parole conditions in a decade — a significant update that families of people approaching release should review to understand current supervision requirements. The revised conditions are available through the UDC website.
Utah's correctional system also has a partnership with Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) — SLCC graduated a class at USCF in May 2025, marking the continuation of college programming in the correctional setting. For families, encouraging engagement with education and vocational programs is one of the most constructive ways to support long-term outcomes. UDC's programming portfolio is designed to be more accessible in the modern USCF facility than it was at the older Draper campus.
Utah's Incarceration Context
Utah's imprisonment rate of approximately 166 per 100,000 residents is among the lowest in the United States — roughly half the national average. This reflects a combination of Utah's relatively young and family-oriented demographic profile, strong community and faith-based support networks, and deliberate policy choices that have emphasized treatment, diversion, and community supervision over incarceration. Utah has been recognized as a model for justice reinvestment policies that have held crime rates stable while reducing incarceration costs. The new USCF — a state-of-the-art facility designed for rehabilitation, programming, and family engagement — reflects Utah's commitment to a corrections approach that prioritizes long-term public safety outcomes over punitive warehousing.
ICE Collaboration and Its Impact on Utah DOC Families
In May 2025, the Utah Department of Corrections entered into an official agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This agreement means that UDC may hold individuals in federal immigration custody within its facilities and cooperate with ICE detainer requests for people in UDC custody. For families of individuals with pending immigration matters, this is an important development — it means that a person completing a state sentence may face federal immigration proceedings before or immediately after release. If your loved one has any immigration concerns, consulting with an immigration attorney before their release date is strongly advisable. Organizations including the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Utah Chapter and local immigration legal aid providers can assist with these situations.
Legal Aid and Advocacy in Utah
Utah Legal Services provides civil legal assistance for low-income residents navigating housing, family law, and benefits issues that arise during or after incarceration. The Utah Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Utah State Bar's Lawyer Referral Service can help connect individuals with private criminal defense counsel. The ACLU of Utah has an active civil liberties docket. If you have concerns about conditions, medical care, or rights issues at USCF or CUCF, UDC's Office of the Inspector General accepts formal complaints — documenting concerns in writing creates a record that strengthens any subsequent advocacy or legal action.
Inmate service providers at Utah Department of Corrections - (UT DOC)
Like most US jails and prisons, Utah Department of Corrections - (UT DOC) relies on private companies for phone calls, video visits, money transfers, and care packages, each with its own fees and sign-up steps. Nationwide the most common providers are Securus and ViaPath (GTL) for calls and video, JPay and Access Corrections for sending money, and Access Securepak for care packages.
Not sure which company serves the Utah Department of Corrections (UT DOC)? Our inmate service provider directory explains how each one works, what it charges, and how to set up an account before you pay.