UPAN Newsletter Volume 8 Number 8 | AUGUST 2021

“Empowerment and Growth Through Knowledge and Unity”

* * * * * * *
Holiday Card Contest – COVID Update – Visiting – Access to Legal –
UPEP Resuming On-Site Classes – Intro to BOPP, Part 2
Avary Kids Support – Flourish Bakery Tour (Heartwarming)
* * * * * *
Next Meetings: August 9, 2021 & September 13, 2021 6:30 p.m. Topic: Family meeting. Free/open to public.
Meeting Location: Virtual Zoom Meeting – link https://bit.ly/2UJ2RA3
Zoom Registration link https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIocOurrjgtGNA3koOUi21CaBonvIx-1q0O

UPAN continues virtual meetings at this time. Also available, as usual, on our Facebook page afterwards.
All UPAN Meetings and those posted on this page are free and open to the public.

In This Issue: Meeting Announcements, UPAN N/L contents in this issue and UPAN Disclaimer Page 1
» Christmas/Holiday Card Design Contest, up to 4 entries per submitter Page 1
» COVID Update by Wendy Parmley, RN AND -- Expanded Visiting from the UDC website Page 2
» UPEP Resuming On-Site Classes In Draper and option for credit classes coming by Molly Prince Pages 3-4
» Locked Out, an article about lack of legal assistance while incarcerated, by Landon Troester Pages 4-5
» Introduction to the Utah Board of Pardons & Parole – Part 2 by Molly Prince Pages 5-7
» Project Avary – Online Support for Children of Incarcerated, from Outreach Coordinator Pages 7-8
» Timely Timpanogos Topics , Flourish Bakery Tour, Begin-Again Opportunity (for men too) Pgs. 8-10
Couple of Smiles & Laugh & List of UPAN Directors/Officers & Contact Info (also our Facebook page) Page 10

Disclaimer: Formulate your own opinions about the information presented.

This information is presented for the reader’s enlightenment and evaluation.
Christmas/Holiday Card Design Contest – For Inmates – UPAN 2021
Note: Please mail submissions no later than, Friday, October 15, 2021
Incarcerated artists are encouraged to join UPAN in celebrating the 2021 Holiday Season. Share your talents in
designing a Holiday Card in any of the following four categories: Religious, Traditional, Contemporary, or Humorous. (Or
one in each category if you want – maximum of four submissions per inmate).
Winners in each category will be posted on the UPAN website and notified individually. People will be able to download,
print, and mail the cards as holiday greetings to inmates and friends. Entries will not be returned. They will be retained
and preserved with appreciation, respect, and care. On display for viewing and enjoyment at in-person UPAN Meetings.
2
Important Notice For Artists: Choose the size of the card to fit your design, 5½ x 8½ inches or 3 /3 x 8½ inches (a ½
1
fold or a /3 fold of an 8½ x 11 inch paper). The original artwork can be any size (like 8½ x 11 paper or larger) and we will
resize it to the size you specify. Please sign your entry on the bottom right of your design. Mail entries to: UPAN
Holiday Card Design Contest, P.O. Box 1018, Pleasant Grove, UT 84062 NOTE: this is NOT the UPAN Draper P O
th
Box address shown on page 10 under “Our Contact Information.” Remember, mail on or before Friday, October 15 .

"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless." Mother Teresa
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 COVID-19 Update, August 2, 2021
By Wendy Parmley, RN

Just as things are quieting down on the COVID-19 front, NOMI’s efforts and they have given about 1,000
we are hearing about the Delta variant that is immunizations thus far. For inmates who declined
contributing to a huge increase in cases throughout the vaccination but want one, you can request vaccination
state and nation. The good news is that the vaccines by completing an Inmate Care Request (ICR) form.
are quite effective against this variant. While there are a
few breakthrough cases, only 0.29% of fully vaccinated There have been a total of 34 outbreaks (up 3 from June
persons have had a breakthrough case, with most of 14) with 4070 individuals (up 75 from 6/14/21) who have
those being mild or even asymptomatic. This is tested positive in Utah’s jails and prisons, and 102
compared to more than 19 percent of 15-24-year-olds, hospitalizations (up 3 from 6/14/21).
17 percent of 25-44-year-olds, and 15 percent (1 in 7 https://coronavirus.utah.gov/case-counts/
individuals) of 45–64-year-olds in our state. And those
who are in prison are at much greater risk of catching As of 7/12/2021 (the latest UDC info), reports 17 active
COVID-19—four times greater in one study. Vaccines cases of COVID at Draper and CUCF. There are no
continue to be our greatest tool to combat COVID-19. active cases in the Community Correctional Centers.
There have been a total of 421 confirmed staff cases (up
We are grateful for the past and ongoing efforts to 19) with 8 staff positive for COVID-19 on 7/12/21.
vaccinate our incarcerated loved ones. We reported in https://corrections.utah.gov/index.php/home/alerts-
June that as of May 20, 2021, 58% had received a 2/1237-udc-coronavirus-updates
vaccine. UDC has not updated those numbers since
that time, but we are aware from the news that NOMI is We are grateful that the worst of COVID in our jails and
continuing those vaccination efforts, focusing on the prisons seems to be behind us and acknowledge the
most vulnerable populations in their outreach efforts, efforts of those who have worked so hard to contain
including those in our prisons. All new admissions are outbreaks and vaccinate our most vulnerable.
being offered the Johnson and Johnson vaccine through

In-Person Visiting & Video Visit Increases beginning August 1, 2021

Beginning August 1, in-person visiting will now be Friday As UDC continues to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic,
through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Each visit will be they continue to make changes, and have truly
approximately 1.5 hours. Visiting frequency will be appreciated the feedback from the community regarding
based on the inmate’s privilege level. the initial rollout of in-person visiting in June.

Video visiting will occur Monday through Thursday from To facilitate a safe visiting process, up to two (2) visitors
8 am to 8 pm. Each visit will be about 30 minutes. at a time will be allowed. The following requirements will
also need to be met by all visitors:
Both video and in-person visits will still need to be - Will need to be 18 and above
scheduled. Please continue to review and schedule - Live in the same household (must be verified)
visits here: https://corrections.utah.gov/index.php/2014- - Not have been out of the country in the last 30 days
10-30-20-13-24/14-visiting-information/1267-video- - Not exposed to anyone with COVID for last 14 days
visiting-schedules - A temperature less than 100 degrees on arrival
- Must wear a mask
UDC is excited to announce that with these changes, - No physical contact of inmates and visitors allowed
they have been able to increase the amount of in-person
and video visits available each month based on privilege Visitors will need to fill out a form for COVID screening
level. You can learn more here: when checking-in for their visit. Form available online:
https://corrections.utah.gov/index.php/2014-10-30-20- https://corrections.utah.gov/index.php/home/alerts-
13-24/14-visiting-information/1057-visiting-privilege- 2/1285-visiting-updates-go-into-effect-august-1
levels

UPEP Resuming On-Site Classes in Draper & Option for Credit Classes Coming
By Molly Prince with information from UPEP Website

In a June 2021 post on Utah Prisoner Advocate’s Olympus, and Timpanogos. UPEP also works with folks
Facebook UPAN Family Support Group page, UPEP post-release on accessing higher education in Utah and
(Utah Prison Education Project) reports that “at this time beyond. Currently there are no UPEP classes in CUCF,
we are engaging on-site classes.” UPEP is providing but they are working with Snow College to bring
college courses and programming in the following education to that facility. UPEP also helps “a handful of
Draper facilities at this time: Promontory, Oquirrh,
2
children of (prison) students assisting them to navigate long and classes meet one day a week for 2.5 hours
to higher education.” from 5:10-7:45 pm. At minimum, one course per
semester is offered. Summer semester is an option for
For students who are not housed in the above facilities, coursework and non-credit activities, such as book
UPEP has a “Totes” program. It drops off totes three clubs, film series, and related academic engagements to
times per year. These totes include books, academic enhance for-credit courses.
supplies, and related items. If you qualify to receive
these items and are not in a housing unit that UPEP Teaching & Learning Lab Each week, students attend
brings classes to, you can have your loved ones email a 2.5-hour session geared toward tutoring, writing
upep@utah.edu with your name and # and what you are support, and general academic enrichment. It is
interested in. You could also write to UPEP imperative that students have adequate time to process
c/o Dr. Erin L. Castro and intellectually engage with one another and UPEP
1721 Campus Center Drive, SAEC 2220 tutors outside of the classroom, as well as secure time
Salt Lake City, UT 84112 for writing and reflection.

UPEP’s Mission Through a commitment to social UPEP Book Club UPEP sponsors a book club in the
transformation, UPEP advances educational equity Lone Peak facility. The goal of this reading group is to
through on-site higher education, empirical research, facilitate critical thought and discussion while building
and advocacy. community.* Each 8-week long session is organized
around a theme, such as "Classic Models,
History of UPEP In 2016-2017, the University of Utah Contemporary Novels," "Rereading the Past," and
Honors College sponsored a yearlong Praxis Lab course "Political Science Fiction." All books are provided to
[praxis: practice, as distinguished from theory, of an art, participants free of charge. [*Definition: Community: a
science, etc. Ed.] titled, Education, Incarceration, and group of people forming a smaller social unit within a
Justice. The undergraduate course was designed to larger one, sharing common interests, Ed.]
examine university affiliated college-in-prison programs
throughout the country, prison-university partnerships, UPEP Creative Writing Workshop UPEP offers a 6-
and best practices in the field. week creative writing workshop, designed to help
students create their own creative writing projects, or
The Praxis Lab course attendees studied mission continue working on something they've already begun.
statements and philosophies, funding structures, These workshops include learning techniques from great
organizational charts, admissions procedures, authors, allowing in-class time to work on writing
memoranda of understandings between prisons and projects, and setting writing goals for the upcoming
universities, and much more. They consulted with the week. Genres [pronounced zhanrahs, the a’s sounding
Utah Dept. of Corrections (UDC) and various like the word “yawn.” Ed.] range from novels and short
administrative leaders at the University of Utah. They stories, to poems, essays, autobiographies, family
attended the 6th Annual Higher Education-in-Prison histories, and everything in between. Objectives are to
Conference in Nashville TN and met with directors of learn specific techniques in student's chosen genre for
some of the most well-respected college-in-prison creative writing success, and to produce a final project
programs throughout the country. that energizes the students' creative selves and makes
them proud.
The final project of the Praxis Lab was the development
and launch of UPEP in spring 2017. Dr. Castro and the Summiting New Heights Lecture Series The UPEP
students in the Praxis Lab are Co-Founders of UPEP. Lectures Series at the prison is an opportunity for all
We (prisoners, families, and the community) are UPEP staff and volunteers, UDC Staff, and UPEP and
indebted to the Honors College at the University of Utah SLCC students to intellectually engage and learn from a
for its early and ongoing support. researcher at the University of Utah. UPEP will offer
additional engagement activities in the future.
UPEP is made up of volunteers The University of
Utah Prison Education Project (UPEP) is a volunteer- New in 2021 – UPEP is partnering with BYU to
based project. Eighty volunteers have given over 1,200 provide credit bearing courses in USP Draper. Since
hours to the project. Volunteers work both inside and its inception, UPEP has been a non-credit program. It
outside the prison, devoting their time to teaching, actively fundraises to cover costs associated with
tutoring, organizing fundraisers, reading applications, enrollment. Incarcerated students are not asked to
lecturing, and advocacy work among other projects. financially pay for participation in UPEP. All costs
associated with attendance have been covered by the
On-Site Programming With the exception of a suspen- Project. However UPEP has recently announced that it
sion due to COVID the past year, UPEP has run will be partnering with BYU to offer courses for credit
yearlong and courses are offered on a two-semester beginning the fall of 2021 in Draper.
schedule: Fall and Spring. Each semester is 16 weeks

3
UPEP partnered with the U of U SJ Quinney College to students. Donations are used to supplement the
of Law in a Justice Lab this spring semester. The costs of instruction including the purchase of supplies for
result is an excellent research project conducted by law courses and materials for our Computer Literacy and
students who authored a report entitled “Locked Out, the Digital Media Labs. UPEP has a wish list on Amazon
Unmet Legal Needs of People in Prison.” The team has which can be found via a button to a link at:
met with UDC administrators about the findings. A https://prisoneducationproject.utah.edu/donate/
summary of this report is below. If you donate materials via Amazon, please list the “send
to” address as: UU Prison Education Project, 1721
UPEP is funded by donations Charitable donations Campus Center Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84112
allow UPEP to offer quality higher education at no costs

Locked Out
By Landon Troester

In May of this year, several students and I at the Univ. of needs, we identified some concerns about the limits of
Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law formed a team and contract attorneys and suggest that supplementing the
worked in partnership with the Utah Prison Education contract attorney system with independent, self-help
Project (UPEP) to answer a question that UPEP had resources would help to improve it.
been hearing from some of its students: “What types of
resources can people in prison use to help resolve legal Our report concludes that these existing tools can and
problems while they are incarcerated?” should be supplemented in order to make the system
more accessible, to address gaps in existing resources,
The team (Kim Koeven, Lesley Ramey, and I) spent and to make sure that people in prison are able to
several months researching, conducting interviews, and resolve important legal needs while still incarcerated.
meeting with stakeholders to learn more about the types
of legal issues that people face while in prison, what We suggest that the system can be more effective by
resources are currently available for those legal issues, taking some or all of these steps:
and what new resources may be the most helpful. - Removing printing fees for legal research requests
Thanks to UPEP and other groups who help people in from the Utah State Law Library, which charges
prison, our team was able to connect with people who $0.25 per page for printing cases or statutes.
are or who had been incarcerated in Utah and learn - Providing in-prison resources like legal research
about their experiences with legal problems while in materials and pre-created legal forms and process
prison. These conversations helped us better guides. Many of these already exist for the public
understand the existing challenges that people in prison and could be adapted for prison use.
face while trying to address legal issues. - Using technology to connect prisons with information
that is already freely available to the public, such as
Civil Legal Needs and Prison-Related Legal Needs
the Utah Courts self-help website and a website-
Through our work, we identified two main types of legal
based version of the Utah Code.
issues that people in prison face: “Civil Legal Needs”
- Researching the potential value of purchasing a
and “Prison-Related Legal Needs.” Civil Legal Needs
subscription to a legal research database system.
are issues that people face that are not directly
- Creating or distributing training resources (electronic
connected to a person’s conviction and incarceration.
or in-person) on legal research, the civil justice
Common civil issues include divorce, child custody, debt,
system, and self-representation in court.
landlord/tenant or housing issues, insurance, and
- Providing law librarians or research clerks who could
immigration. Prison-Related Legal Needs are issues
answer questions and help people access these
that are connected to a person’s incarceration. They
resources. As an additional option, some prison
can include legal issues related to a person’s conviction,
systems train people who are incarcerated to work as
or be issues raised because the person is incarcerated
research assistants or clerks as a prison job.
but has legal concerns about the conditions at the prison
- Organizing limited legal help clinics which could
like inadequate medical care, or the excessive use of
connect people in prison with private attorneys for
force.
brief, free legal advising sessions.
Our report finds that while there are some tools available
Substantial challenges and needs.These legal issues
for people in prison to handle civil and prison-related
are substantial and can severely disrupt any person’s
legal needs, many of the most common tools that a
life. Our report suggests that the existing challenges
person in Utah could normally use are not accessible to
with solving a legal issue are only magnified when the
inmates. Importantly, many effective resources are
complexities of incarceration are added to the mix. By
accessed by phone, internet, and email, all are hard or
providing additional resources and helping incarcerated
impossible for an inmate to use. In addition, while the
people address these needs while in prison, we believe
Utah Department of Corrections does provide a “contract
that we can help simplify the complex re-entry process
attorney” system for certain types of prison-related legal
for people returning from prison and ensure that people
4
are able to access the justice system to get help. Our order to be able to help with an issue, Legal Aid Society
team has been interviewed by KUER and KSL News may require a variety of documentation which you may
about this report, and we hope that this work will start not be able to gather while incarcerated – help from
conversations between the Department of Corrections, someone on the outside might be necessary to gather all
public interest attorneys, and other groups to help find of the required information.
ways to improve people’s access to legal information
and legal research while incarcerated. I Need Help with a Prison-Related Legal Issue – What
Help is There? The Utah Dept. of Corrections has a
I Need Help with a Civil Legal Issue – What Help is contract with attorneys in Utah to provide help with some
There? One of our report’s findings is that many of the prison related legal issues. You can contact them by
resources that Utahns can use to help handle these following the process set out by UDC.
types of issues are not easily accessed while in prison.
Some of the most useful resources are primarily If you would like to do your own legal research for a
accessed online, which means that they are not prison-related issue, the Utah State Law Library can
accessible to someone in prison. print copies of cases and statutes and mail them to you.
It is not free – there is a $0.25 per page print fee for a
However, there are resources that people in prison can copy of a case or statute, and there is a mailing fee if
access. One option is the Utah State Court’s Self-Help you are anywhere outside of the Draper or Gunnison
Center. They are not able to provide legal advice but can prison facility. You can contact the Utah State Law
help by providing legal information and connecting Library by mail at 450 S. State Street, W-13, P.O. Box
people in prison with printed copies of court forms and 140220, Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-0220.
process guides. The Self-Help Center can be contacted
by phone, text, or email as well as by mail. They often There are also some organizations that may help with
have a long wait time by phone, and their number is toll- certain types of issues. ACLU Utah is focused on issues
free and cannot be dialed by someone in prison. You surrounding constitutional issues such as access to mail;
can mail inquiries to 450 S. State Street, W-13, P.O. Box religious freedom; and excessive use of force. The
140220, Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-0220. People Disability Law Center is Utah’s Protection and Advocacy
outside of prison can access the information on their Agency for people with disabilities. Both agencies have
website and can call or text the center to ask questions. limited resources and cannot take every case for full
legal representation. That said, these two agencies do
The Legal Aid Society of Salt Lake is a private, non-profit provide information about the grievance process and
legal aid organization which can help with certain family general information to people in prison who ask for help.
law issues such as divorce, child custody, and
guardianship. They can only help with cases in Salt UPAN note: After UPAN’s Molly Prince shared the full
Lake County. They have an application process and Locked Out report with UDC’s Eric Barker, he is
qualification criteria, which can be requested by currently working to add legal resources to the existing
contacting them at 801-328-8849 or by mail at 205 N tablet program. While this is not a complete solution, it is
400 W, Salt Lake City, Utah 84103. Please be aware: in a quick first step to addressing this problem.

Sometimes, in the winds of change, we find our true direction. Anonymous

Introduction to the Utah Board of Pardons & Parole – Part 2 – TYPES OF HEARINGS
Adapted by Molly Prince from an unpublished document created by the Community Outreach Committee
for the Board of Pardons and Parole & information directly from the BOPP website www.bop.utah.gov

UPAN has been an original member of the Outreach Committee for the Utah Board of Pardons & Parole (BOPP) which
was formed by former Administrative Director Greg Johnson after the Legislative Audit of the BOPP was released in
February 2016. Other orgs who have consistently been involved in this committee, designed to address issues related to
Utah’s BOPP, include the ACLU of Utah and the Disability Law Center. Involvement in the Outreach Committee and
contributions to this document over the years have also included Journey of Hope and Fresh Start Ventures.

Original Hearings In an Original Hearing, you have the In certain circumstances the Board may determine that
option to personally attend (a personal appearance you’re not able to represent yourself effectively. See
hearing). The Board examines your record for the first R671-308. In those cases, the Board will appoint a
time. No one is granted an opportunity to speak at these representative or provide another type of assistance the
hearings, except for you and any victim—or a Board determines necessary to conduct an orderly
designated representative of the victim—who wishes to hearing. As examples, a representative may be an
be heard. Your attorney may be present at the hearing interpreter, a Corrections staff member assisting an
but is not allowed to speak for you or on your behalf. individual with a physical infirmity, or a representative
from National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) assisting
an individual who suffers from mental illness.
5
All others having info that they wish to have considered conducted within 30 days of return to the institution
must submit their comments in writing two weeks or unless you have returned for new criminal conduct. If
more prior to the hearing. This includes letters from you have new criminal charges, delays may occur while
family or friends writing in support, letters from the case is being decided through the courts.
prospective employers or potential treatment providers. The Sentencing Commission publishes guidelines about
When sending letters of support for any type of hearing, how long an individual should spend in prison due to a
family and friends must add their address and email parole violation. The Board may exceed these
address. guidelines if the Board finds a specific exception as
described in the guidelines.
Rehearing A Rehearing is a personal appearance
hearing scheduled because the Board has determined to Attorneys are only allowed to speak at two specific
see you again before making a decision for release. A types of hearings before the Board.
rehearing is often given for the following reasons: 1) the 1) An attorney may speak on behalf of an individual
Board requires more information or evaluation on your at a parole violation hearing where there are no
new criminal convictions. In this instance, the alleged
situation, 2) you need to demonstrate commitment to or parole violator may hire a private attorney, or an
involvement in specific programming such as substance attorney may be assigned at the State’s expense.
abuse treatment, sex offender treatment, high school
diploma, etc., 3) you need to demonstrate responsible 2) An attorney may also speak on behalf of an
behavior in the institution, or 4) the nature of the offense individual at a pardon and commutation hearing. If
and length of sentence make it not practical to set a date an individual wants an attorney at his or her pardon
at the first hearing. or commutation hearing, they must hire a private
attorney – attorney at State’s expense not allowed.
No one is allowed to speak at these hearings except for
yourself and any victim—or a designated representative Evidentiary Hearing If you were to plead not guilty to
of the victim—who wishes to be heard. This limitation violations of parole at the Parole Violation Hearing, you
includes all legal representatives. However, your may be scheduled for an Evidentiary Hearing. This
attorney may be present at the hearing. As with Original hearing is like a trial and you would be afforded an
Hearings, all others having information that they wish to opportunity to confront the state’s witnesses and present
have considered must submit their comments in writing evidence on your behalf which challenges the
two weeks prior to the hearing. They must include their allegations. You would be afforded all due process
return address or email address. rights, including the benefit of an attorney.

Recision Hearing Recision means to cancel, take Sometimes the alleged violation of parole is related to or
away, or change. A Recision Hearing is conducted to includes new criminal conduct allegations. The new
consider information that generally has a negative criminal allegations are handled by the court, whereas
impact on a decision previously given/determined by the the Board only has jurisdiction over parole violations.
Board. Recision hearings may be conducted as a result
of poor conduct in the prison, a new conviction not However, sometimes the parole violation hearing must
previously known by the Board, or any other new and be postponed until the court determines what will
significant information that can affect the individual’s happen with the new criminal charges. Your attorney
readiness for release. This is a personal appearance will advise you on how to proceed.
hearing in which you would be present to discuss the https://justice.utah. gov/Sentencing
new information.
Commutation Hearing A Commutation is the
As in other hearings, the only ones who can speak at substitution of a lesser penalty in place of a greater
these hearings are yourself and any victim—or a penalty. In rare and unique circumstances, you may
designated representative of the victim—who wishes to petition the Board for commutation of your sentence.
be heard. This limitation includes all legal represent- The Utah Constitution also vests the Board with the sole
atives. However, your attorney may be present at the commutation or clemency authority over death
hearing. sentences imposed in the courts of this state.

All others having information that they wish to have New Hearing – No Approved Address The BOPP has
considered must submit their comments in writing two to complete a new hearing if you have been given a
weeks prior to the hearing. This includes letters from release date but not released within 90 days due to not
family or friends writing in support, letters from having an approved address and/or a lack of space at
prospective employers, or potential treatment providers. the Community Corrections Centers (CCC). Sometimes
this hearing is called a Bed Space Recision.
Parole Violation Hearing/Revocation Hearing This is
a personal appearance hearing, also known as a Other Types of Case Reviews The Board has several
revocation hearing, given if you were returned to prison ways a decision can be reviewed once an initial decision
on violations of parole. This hearing is usually has been entered. These additional reviews are
6
primarily “paper reviews“ and do not involve a personal A redetermination request may be submitted through
appearance. In other words, reports and other your case manager or directly to the Board. The 5- or
documentation are submitted and routed to the Board for 10-year time period must be met and there should be no
reconsideration of its previous decision. pending disciplinaries or new convictions. The request
Special Attention Hearing Special Attention requests may be in the form of a letter but should include a clear
should come through the caseworker or the assigned statement of the reasons a redetermination should be
parole agent. These requests provide the Board with considered and any new information or progress. The
additional information regarding any new and Board may request a recommendation from the
extraordinary circumstances which may have an impact Department of Corrections if the Department has not
on a previous decision of the Board. already provided one. The Board may make a redeter-
mination with or without a hearing.
While in prison, all information to be considered should
be submitted through the caseworker for review and Where People Can Send Letters of Support Family,
verification. There is no inherent right to have a Special friends, potential employers, and others may submit
Attention Review. This is a matter for the institution to comments and letters through the Board website, by
review and decide on the merits of the issues involved. mail, or dropped off at the Board office.
https://bop.utah.gov/index.php/for-offenders-
In the case of a parolee, Special Attention requests may families/information-for-family/84-bop-victims-
deal with minor violations of parole, now known as category/131- offender-family-form
“Response and Incentive Matrix”, or to consider some
modification of the parole agreement. In rare instances, Termination Requests If you have been on parole and
the Board may wish to have a hearing with all parties are doing well, the parole officer may submit a request to
present to discuss the issues at hand. the Board to consider termination. This request must be
processed through the parole office and must include
Special Attention hearings can also be petitioned for by info about compliance and adjustment and positive
an attorney once someone is already on parole. transition and behavior in the community. You may
submit your own materials for consideration, but the
Redetermination Hearing According to Board rules, request will be referred to the agent for comment and
you may request a review of a previously entered recommendation. This review is a “paper review” only.
decision. See R671-316-1. Such reviews may be There are Supervision Guidelines set out by the Senten-
requested at 5- or 10-year intervals from the date of the cing Commission as part of the Utah Commission on
last review. If the decision to be reviewed is an expire- Criminal & Juvenile Justice (CCJJ). These Supervision
life decision or the setting of an original hearing for a Guidelines give basic standards that people on parole
homicide offense, then the individual may apply after 10 must meet prior to being considered for an early
years. For other decisions the interval is 5 years. termination of their parole.
Contact your caseworker about how the rules apply in
your case.
Project Avary Program Offers Online Support to Children of Incarcerated
By Molly Prince based on Information received from Outreach Coordinator Danielle at Project Avary

UPAN recently received information about an online The program is sponsored; free, no cost to attend and
support program for children of incarcerated parents it is a FUN online community of support (it is not like
(CIP). Molly Prince has looked into this and it appears to therapy groups or online groups for school). Sharing is
be a positive program. There are currently spaces optional, they never force anyone to share if they don’t
available for the online support groups this Fall for these want to share about their situation.
children. Youth can benefit from joining these fun,
supportive, and free groups. Refer to the website below The program consists of 6 weekly community groups,
to learn more. A short application can be found there in which last about 60-75 minutes. Sessions will be held
order to apply. www.projectavary.org/onlineprogram online using the Zoom video conferencing platform.
Groups will include 6-10 youth participants, ages 10-15,
Key Points About the Program Because of the stigma two experienced adult facilitators and a teenage junior
surrounding incarceration, there may be some hesitancy counselor, all who have personal experience with
to apply. We recommend that you direct any questions parental incarceration. After completing the 6-week
or concerns to Project Avary directly. Here are a few program, youth may apply to return for subsequent
key points that might alleviate some of your concerns: sessions, or apply for the teen leadership program,
which supports youth to become leaders and counselors
Project Avary has, for over 20 years, provided fun pro- within the Avary online community.
gramming for children of incarcerated parents.
Everyone in this program, including the adult counselors, Days and times will vary group to group. The most
have personal experience with incarceration in their common schedule is on weekdays (Tues, Wed, or
family. Thurs) from late afternoon or early evening (depending
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on time zone). It is based in CA, which is one hour is or was incarcerated and be between ages of 10-15
earlier than UT. (slightly younger or older youth are encouraged to apply
if there is a strong desire to participate). Be willing and
Group Curriculum The curriculum has carefully evolved able to commit to attending all 6 initial group meetings,
out of decades of working directly with CIP and their be aware of their parents incarceration, have internet
families. It is evidence-based, and the program access & a device to use during sessions.
objectives are externally evaluated. The curriculum’s
focus is to respond to three central challenges facing How to Enroll Your Child If you are in the community,
CIP: grief and loss during parental separation, anxiety you may go to the website and fill out the online form.
and stress relating to adverse childhood experiences If you are incarcerated, fill out and mail in application.
(ACE’s), and feelings of shame and stigma related to If you refer your child into this program, please inform
societal stigmatization. The Project addresses these their caregiver (person child lives with) prior to mailing
challenges by providing a continuous community of the form back to Avary Project. They would like to avoid
support to CIP - one filled with positive peer-to-peer and surprising the family when they contact them. If you
youth-adult relationships, fun activities that reduce stress would like to refer multiple children, please fill out one
and build a sense of community and belonging, and safe form per child, if possible.
and judgment-free zones to talk about personal
experience with incarceration. Inmates, please write a letter containing ALL the
information and mail to: Project Avary, Attn. Online
Participant Criteria Applicants must have a parent who Program PO Box 150088 San Rafael, CA 94915-0088

"Courage does not always roar. Sometimes it is a quiet voice at the end of the day saying...
‘I will try again tomorrow.’ " Mary Ann Radmacher

Letters for Change

submitted by Letters for Change

Can writing a letter to an incarcerated person really ation has a need for both additional inmate pen pals and
make that big of a difference? We say, “YES!” Letters community volunteers. Learn more and sign up for a pen
for Change is a nonprofit with the mission to promote pal at: https://www.letters4support.org/contact
friendship, understanding, and community through
providing a letter service for inmates in prison. Inmates If you are an inmate and would like to sign up for Letters
are referred to or sign up for the program. Volunteers on for Change, please contact Letters for Change with your
the “other side of the fence” become their pen pals. name, inmate number, and a short paragraph
introducing yourself to your pen pal: Letters for Change,
The service sounds simple, but the impact has been P.O. Box 1656, Bentonville, AR 72712. Multiple inmates
incredible. Some inmates haven’t received any contact can include a note in the same envelope.
from outside the prison in years. One shared, “I think
Letters for Change is awesome…it is great to talk and Please note, inmates and volunteers must be 18+ to
write to someone besides another inmate. It means so participate. The service is for friendship, not romantic
much.” Another said, “Thank you very much for provid- relationships. Personal identifying information is not
ing this wonderful way to communicate with someone permitted within the letter itself, only first names!
new. All of the guys that I know have expressed similar Outside pen pals, see our FAQs for additional
statements. So thank you very much.” guidelines: https://www.letters4support.org/faq

Currently, almost 200 inmates have asked to be written Letters for Change is an independent 501(c)(3)
to, many of whom have been abandoned by family charitable organization and is not affiliated with nor
members and former friends. At this time, the organiz- facilitated by UPAN.

"True life is lived when tiny changes occur." Leo Tolstoy

Now, saving the best for last, the following article can be of interest to all who are incarcerated. Ed.

Timely Timpanogos Topics -- UPAN Tours Flourish Bakery, A Begin-Again Opportunity

By Molly Prince

On July 21, 2021, UPAN Directors Gayle Dawes, Deon to build better people through the opportunity to begin
Corkins, and Molly Prince had the opportunity to tour again. The Flourish Bakery Intern Program is a
Flourish Bakery, which is located in historic downtown comprehensive,15-month classic paid apprenticeship,
Midvale. The overarching mission of Flourish Bakery is which fosters hope, healing, and accountability while
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simultaneously teaching the art and skills of artisan Recovery is baked into this program. Although
pastry and baking to those recovering from addiction cooking is the focus, long-term recovery is “baked” into
with a history of incarceration. all aspects of the 15-month program. The interns
participate in Daily Reflection each day, where they sit
Three in five US families are impacted by addiction. around a large kitchen table lovingly referred to as “the
On average, between 40%-60% of people trying to healing table” and write in journals and talk about their
overcome substance abuse disorder will relapse at some hopes, dreams, fears, and challenges. There is time for
point during their journey. Sometimes multiple times. meditation and a support group. They can pull other
One in three adults are justice involved, which limits staff members aside when they are struggling. They
access to jobs, education, and housing. Finding offer support and understanding to each other on a
employment at a living wage is very difficult for people constant basis. Flourish has its own herb and vegetable
who have been incarcerated and/or are on probation or garden and freshly picked herbs go into many of their
parole. baked creations each day. Rachel stated that there is
“something about working with your hands that is so
Flourish is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. It’s healing.”
Instagram and Facebook pages state “The Flourish
community teaches the art and skills of professional The program incorporates a holistic approach to living
baking to individuals in recovery from addiction and/or and working. Program participants are encouraged to
incarceration.” Flourish Bakery is a supportive attend to all aspects of their being – mental, physical,
community that fosters hope and healing. Flourish emotional, spiritual, and social. They enjoy a warm
Bakery employs individuals in recovery from substance family meal together daily. They go to the gym together,
use disorders as well as those working to reintegrate which is included in their work day. They enjoy paid
their lives post-incarceration. This employment vacation days. Rachel explained that the interns receive
opportunity assists individuals in the healing process and a living wage, which is difficult for people who have a
works to reduce the persistent cycle of relapse and spotty work history or have been involved in the criminal
recidivism through life and job skills training. Flourish justice system. All elements of the program are provided
provides a community of support, mentorship & free of charge to participants. Additionally, all interns
friendship, and is a space of life-long transformation, one perform a 3-month externship at a local business where
pie at a time. individuals further their professional skills before
graduation. Upon graduation and fulltime job placement,
While Flourish does not provide sober living residences, interns return as "Flourish Ambassadors" to positively
we learned that it does coordinate with housing agencies mentor new interns.
to help secure sober living arrangements for those in the
program. We then met Sean, who has been with Flourish since it
opened in Midvale. Other interns were intently focused
Our tour began by meeting Shauna Wiest, Flourish’s on their pastry creations and allowed us to take photos
Development & Grants Manager. We then met Rachel, and ask questions of them.
an intern employed by Flourish, who shared her struggle
with substance use and addiction, and her first rehab The Story of A. We met “A”, who has been with
experience beginning at the age of 13, culminating in Flourish since May 2021 after release from yet another
becoming involved with the criminal justice system. stint in prison. He shared his history of run-ins with the
Rachel has now been clean and sober for one year. law and his use of alcohol and drugs, starting in
She completed the House of Hope program in Provo, elementary school. He described his journey of going in
and learned of Flourish Bakery through a newspaper and out of prison multiple times for crimes associated
article in the Salt Lake Tribune. She moved into sober with drug use and addiction. When asked what is
living, and applied for and was accepted to begin her 15- different this time, A stated the importance of making an
month paid internship with Flourish in December 2020. individual, internal decision: the deep desire to get clean
Rachel was our Bakery tour guide and Shauna filled in and change his life by doing the hard work needed to
the blanks from the administrative side. remain sober.

Rachel shared her appreciation and passion for all the A completed the substance abuse treatment program at
Flourish program provides for her as she showed us the the Draper prison (Conquest). That was not his first time
commercial ovens, the cooler, freezer, and work areas. in a substance use recovery program. He said that this
She stopped in the middle of the tour to help three other time he realized that he was becoming tired and really
bakers understand a recipe they were working on. She wanted to make the changes within himself to become a
discussed how outside of Flourish she has never found a different person and become successful this time getting
job that understands the challenges of maintaining out. He does not want to return to prison. After
sobriety after going through a residential rehab program. completing Conquest, A was able to join a Culinary Arts
Flourish helps those in the program learn how to program offered by Davis Area Technical College
manage the stress of building and maintaining a drug- (DATC). This enabled A to remain in the Conquest
free lifestyle while embracing life-long recovery. housing rather than returning to general population
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where his sobriety might be challenged. While with interns are finally able to let their inner light shine
DATC, A discovered he really enjoyed baking and through. This positivity and joy is positively manifested
cooking – and he was good at it. A learned of the in the deliciousness of their baked goods.
Flourish program through DATC’s Mike Serassio, who
goes above and beyond, all on his own time, to seek Flourish has 100% success rate. In terms of learning
placements for graduates of the DATC Prison Culinary how to become artisan bakers, there is formal
Program. Thus, A applied and was accepted into the instruction, on the job training, and specific modules of
Flourish program. baking education. This is indeed an unusual and
remarkable program. For the last three years, 100% of
Being accepted as an intern into the Flourish Bakery Flourish interns graduated into fulltime employment
program is no small feat. There are 12 positions without relapse or recidivism. For context, Utah's
available. The internships last 15 months. Applicants current relapse rate is 76%.
become part of a community. Rachel and A describe it
like a wonderful family. Flourish is conscious of the type Delicious baked goods. Gayle, Deon and I each
of energy necessary to have harmony between everyone purchased and tried some delicious baked goods from
working and healing in the program. Only those who are their retail bakery located onsite. The choices included
committed to their long-term recovery and sobriety are Rosemary Focaccia bread (which is only made on
accepted. Thursday and Friday and Saturday) to peanut butter &
jelly cookies, kitchen sink cookies, fruit cutie pies, carrot
Positivity permeates the bakery. The atmosphere and cake, chocolate Nutella mascarpone cutie pies, meat pot
positive energy of everyone present during our tour was pies, and much more. They also gave us a goodie bag.
palpable. While it was warm in the bakery, those of us Everything I tasted was above and beyond delicious!
on tour almost did not want to leave. It was inspiring and
enjoyable to be in the company of these amazing men The bakery is open to the public for purchases
and women who are recognizing their value, changing Wednesday – Saturday 8AM to 4PM. The Bakery is
their lives, and contributing to the greater good. located at 752 W Center Street, Suite B in Midvale, UT
(behind Cricket Wireless). There is plenty of parking and
When Rachel smiles at her coworkers, the glow comes you can order ahead for specific items.
from within. It comes through her eyes. While Rachel
has experienced much trauma from which she is We appreciate the time and hospitality the Flourish folks
healing, it is evident that she is truly happy being part of gave us. We encourage everyone to support Flourish
the Flourish community. About her Flourish family, she Bakery by purchasing from them or donating to the
states as she looks at them, “I now know what a good cause. More information and how to apply can be found
friend looks like.” And the support and connection is at https://www.flourishslc.org/
reciprocal. It appears to me that each of the Flourish

Couple of Smiles and Maybe a Laugh

I heard a rumor that longtime, well-known actor, Kevin Spacey, wanted to be a rocket scientist but he wondered if his last
name would help him or hurt him. ~~ An administrative assistant felt she would easily be hired by an environmental group
since her last name was Green! ~~ If you suck at playing the trumpet, that’s probably why ~~ What do you call a herd of
lambs tumbling down a hill? A lambslide ~~ Have you noticed that “the” and ‘IRS” spells “theirs?”

I suspect that many of you are a gift to those around you. Great going. What could be more cool??!! Ed.

* * * * * * *
Utah Prisoner Advocate Network.
Director, Co-Founder & Treasurer: Molly Prince Inmate Newsletter Volunteer Coord; Deon Corkins
Director of Communications: Shane Severson Holiday Card Program Coordinator: Audrae Rogers
Director of Sex Offender Policy Issues: Faye Jenkins Our Contact Information:
Director of Women’s Issues: Gayle Dawes Utah Prisoner Advocate Network
Director, Medical/Mental Health Issues: Wendy Parmley P. O. Box 464, Draper, UT 84020
Director, Board of Pardons Issues: Ernie Rogers Website: UtahPrisonerAdvocate.org
Director, Newsletter Editor: Warren Rosenbaum Email: Utahprisoneradvocate@gmail.com
UPAN Volunteer Coordinator: An Bradshaw Facebook: Facebook.com/UtahPrisoner

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world;
indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead

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