The Jails Processing / Court Liaison Unit is comprised of criminal history, prisoner booking, court liaison, and prisoner releasing. In 2002 these units were joined and all staff were cross-trained in each area. In 2003, the Processing Division enjoyed the benefits from the staff being trained in all areas. These areas are now more streamlined and efficient because staff can be moved to areas where the workload increases to prevent areas from becoming back logged and slowed down.

    The Classification Unit classifies each prisoner based on an objective classification system. It focuses on predicting institutional behavior by examining the prisoner’s past criminal history and their behavioral history while incarcerated. By using these points of reference, we are better able to predict how each prisoner is likely to behave while they are housed in the jail.

    The Video Arraignment Unit provides services for nine court jurisdictions within Salt Lake County. Through state-of-the-art video conferencing equipment, participating courts are able to arraign prisoners in a cost-effective, efficient, and secure manner.

    The Prisoner Discipline Unit conducts hearings on prisoners that have been written-up by officers for violation of prisoner rules and regulations. Disciplinary hearings are non-judicial administrative procedures to determine if substantial evidence exists to find a prisoner at fault or not at fault for a specific rule violation. Prisoners are held accountable for their violation of prisoner rules and regulations by imposing administrative sanctions to teach and motivate them to correct inappropriate behavior. The goal is to provide a safe environment for prisoners to be housed and for staff to work.

    The Jail Processing Division will continue to focus on teamwork and staff training. We accept our challenge to be an integral part of the operation of the Metro Jail. We will work together to solve the problems of the future.