It’s been a year of growth at the Uintah County Jail as additional state contracts have been taken on. According to Sheriff Vance Norton, it has also been a year of expanding program offerings to inmates. Most recently, members of the staff received training in order to teach the pre-training classes for inmates that will go into the sex offender treatment program at the state prison. “When they complete the classes here,” explains Norton, “they can then go to the facility for sex offender treatment and get what they need to integrate back into society at some point.” The goal at the Uintah County Jail is to get 24 through the program in a year which generates further revenue for the jail as they receive payment from the state for providing the classes. Norton estimates that it could generate $100,000 dollars a year. The jail is also currently working with UBTech as they explore offering trucking school to inmates. The program would use a driving simulator to help prepare the students and all the written requirements could be completed in the jail. Once released, they could finish with the driving tests. “Everyone in our facility will be getting out at some point so we want to help them get the skills they need to be productive once released,” shares Norton, who hopes that comes together in 2018.
