Annual Report

You may click the following link for additional information and the most recent Division annual report. Processing_Annual_Report

 Processing Division Mission Statement

The mission of the Processing Division is to provide services vital to the core of the Jail's primary functions - the intake and release of prisoners and their management while housed in the facility. We will also extend this support to our criminal justice partners across the County and State, including both public and private attorneys, law enforcement agencies at all levels, and a wide variety of judicial venues. 

 Processing Division Core Values

In addition to the Sheriff's Office Core Values, the Processing Division fosters the following core values:

Trustworthy – The Salt Lake County Jail has achieved its reputation as a premier agency because of the trust we have earned from the community. We will follow the highest ethical standards and protect the rights of all citizens.

Respect – We provide a working environment of mutual respect between staff. We encourage our team in constant improvement and growth to our maximum potential.

Community Focus – We are aware that the community is our primary customer and it is they who define the quality of service provided. We will always remember that every contact between a citizen and our staff is how community opinion is formed.

Service – What we provide is a range of services and the only way for us to improve is to improve the quality of (and our delivery of) those services. We are constantly learning, willing to examine what we do and why, and make any necessary changes.

 Jail Intake Unit

The Intake Unit is responsible for receiving prisoners brought into the Jail by the various police authorities in Salt Lake County. The process begins with a medical pre-screening conducted by a registered nurse. If the prisoner is medically cleared, a Processing clerk conducts a criminal history check to verify the prisoner's identity and to serve any outstanding warrants. The prisoner's personal property is removed and secured in a sealed bag for safe keeping. A rub search is conducted on the prisoner in order to make sure all property is accounted for and no contraband enters the Jail.

Once a prisoner enters the booking area, a Corrections Specialist Clerk will verify the prisoner's personal information and add the charges and /or warrants to the prisoner file. The prisoner is then photographed, fingerprinted, and a DNA sample is obtained, if necessary. The prisoner also meets with Pre-Trial Services personnel where they are informed of their charges and what they need to do to be released from Jail. Prisoners are given ample opportunity to contact family members, attorneys, and bonding agencies to arrange for their release from Jail.

 Processing and Court Liaison Units

The Processing/Court Liaison Unit is comprised of Corrections Specialists who manage tasks involving criminal histories, prisoner bookings, court paperwork issues, and prisoner releasing. During 2010, the Processing/Court Liaison Unit booked 32,570 prisoners into jail and released 33,249 prisoners. On average, there were 89 prisoners booked into Jail and 91 prisoners released daily, with an average daily population of 2,236 prisoners. In 2010, we had an decrease in "Overcrowding Releases" (OCR), meaning that fewer prisoners were released from Jail simply because we were full. We were down 19.2% from the previous year, for a total of 6,096 prisoners being released from custody due to overcrowding.

 Classification Unit

The Classification Unit determines the appropriate housing location for each prisoner based on an objective classification system. It focuses on predicting institutional behavior by examining the prisoner’s current charges, past criminal history, and their behavioral history while incarcerated. The Unit staff assess certain elements of a prisoner’s background and their criminal charges to determine which housing unit would best meet safety and security concerns. Each prisoner is assigned to a housing unit based on the point value of the classification assessment.

 Video Arraignment Unit

The Video Arraignment Unit provides services for court jurisdictions within Salt Lake County and video conferencing with the Legal Defenders Association. Through state of the art video conferencing equipment, participating courts are able to arraign prisoners in a cost-effective, efficient, and secure manner. The unit provides the prisoners with an opportunity to speak with their public defender and the Court. Prisoners are also interviewed for potential placement into programs to help with such problems as drug and alcohol addiction and mental health issues.

 Prisoner Discipline Unit

The Prisoner Discipline Unit conducts hearings on prisoners who have violated the rules and regulations of the Jail. Disciplinary hearings are non-judicial administrative procedures to determine whether or not a prisoner actually committed a specific rule violation. Prisoners are held accountable for their actions by the imposition of administrative sanctions to encourage them to correct any inappropriate behavior. The goal is to provide a safe environment for staff and prisoners. During 2010, the Unit's hearing officers conducted 3,584 hearings for prisoners in the Metro and Oxbow Jails, as well as in the Electronic Monitoring Program.

 Sheriff's Office Records

The Sheriff’s Office Records Unit was transferred to the Processing Division on January 1st, 2010.This unit will continue to handle records generated by the Sheriff’s Office.

This Unit provides services to the public, courts, law enforcement, and other government agencies and criminal justice partners who may request records on persons previously incarcerated in the Salt Lake County Jail. Expertly trained staff scan and electronically store all documentation created while a prisoner is incarcerated in our facilities. Jail Records are classified as "private" with the exception of the on-line Docket and Roster History for the past 60 days which can be viewed at Jail Dockets and Rosters. Another useful tool is the Inmate Lookup Tool, for verifying current prisoner information. These links were designed for public use and can be accessed from the Metro Jail web page.

They are also responsible for all Government Records Management Act (GRAMA) requests, criminal history expungements, subpoenas, and court orders for criminal history records.

Any records that are not classified as "public" must be requested by subpoena, court order, or by filling out a request and providing a "Consent to Release", signed by the person whose records are being requested and notarized no more that 30 days prior to making a request. The Sheriff's Office stays in compliance with the Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA), UCA, Title 63G.

 Clothing and Laundry Unit

The Clothing/Laundry Unit provides clean clothing and bedding for all of our prisoners. They store prisoner property and street clothing in individual lockers for safekeeping until they are released from custody. Those prisoners staying in the facility are given an opportunity to shower after the booking process and given clean clothing, bedding, and personal hygiene items.  Clean clothing and bedding is exchanged in the Housing units six nights each week. Utilizing a prisoner labor workforce, supervised by civilian staff, we sort, wash, fold, and distribute approximately 700 tons of laundry yearly.

The Jail Processing Division continues to focus on teamwork and staff training. We accept our challenge to be an integral part of the operation of the Salt Lake County Jail. We work together to solve problems and be proactive and progressive.