2025 Inmate Bills.

HB 31 Offender Information Amendments requires credentials and records (including restitution) to be available on a citizen offender portal in order to increase transparency to inmates on what money they owe and to have easier access to essential government documents.

HB 39 Correctional Health Amendments requires the Department of Health and Human Services to contract with a telehealth psychiatric consultation provider to provide consultation services to staff responsible for inmates' psychiatric care. It also requires the DOC and a local mental health authority to cooperate to have certain offenders assessed for available community-based services, and to take steps to connect an offender to appropriate community-based services. An earlier version of the bill would have directed DHHS to prepare and implement a plan for providing opioid use disorder treatment to all inmates who suffer from opioid use disorder, but this was left out of the final version, likely due to budget constraints.

HB 167 Re-Entry Modifications expands on reentry and reintegration goals for the criminal justice system. It directs coordinating councils to adopt goals to connect those on probation or parole with resources (such as housing, employment, and treatment) and requires a local mental health authority to coordinate with the DOC when possible to provide continuous services to those on probation or parole. It expands on fresh start provisions, such as prohibiting a public employer from excluding an applicant from an initial interview for an expunged conviction or a juvenile arrest or for incarceration that was more than 5 years ago (reduced from 7 years). The bill also allows the DOC to procure or adopt technology to coordinate services with outside organizations involved in supporting individuals on probation or parole and creates a special revenue fund for DOC for reentry so they can accept donations.

We supported HB 224 Inmate Reentry, Finances, and Debt Modifications, which requires the courts to suspend interest on debt and other payments during an individual's release from prison and requires the DOC to give regular notice of debt and financial information to individuals in prison.

HB 252 State Custody Amendments prohibits DHHS from initiating any hormone treatments or sex characteristic surgeries for transgender inmates and does not allow opposite sex individuals to share a youth room in a detention facility or a secure care facility. It also changes the age of the youth for which an actor can commit the crime of custodial sexual relations against from 21 to 25.

HB 302 Minors in State Custody Amendments requires the Department of Health and Human Services to apply for a Medicaid waiver to ensure that minors in the custody of the department who receive federal benefits will maintain resource-eligibility for Medicaid. It also requires DHHS to evaluate whether a minor in the custody of the department is receiving or is eligible to receive federal benefits and requires them to offer financial literacy training to the minor.

HB 312 Criminal Justice Amendments is Rep. Lisonbee’s bill expanding the definition of “habitual offenders” as it pertains to misdemeanants, directing how treatment of this population should differ as it comes to pretrial release and sentencing. A habitual offender is defined as an individual who meets any of the following criteria:

• Has been convicted in at least five previous cases, with each case involving one or more felony offenses, and each conviction occurred within the five-year period immediately preceding the day on which the defendant is convicted of a new felony offense.

• Has been charged with one or more felony offenses in at least nine separate cases, and a felony charge in each case was issued within the five-year period immediately preceding the day on which the defendant is convicted of a new felony offense.

• Has been convicted in at least nine previous cases, with each case involving one or more misdemeanor offenses, and each conviction occurred within the three-year period immediately preceding the day on which the defendant is convicted of a new misdemeanor or felony offense.

• Has been charged with one or more misdemeanor offenses in at least 19 separate cases, and a misdemeanor charge in each case was issued within the three-year period immediately preceding the day on which the defendant is convicted of a new misdemeanor or felony offense.

The bill also does the following:

• Requires a jail to contract with another jail before releasing someone due to overcrowding if their arrest or conviction is for a violent offense, felony drug offense, fentanyl offense, or DUI with injury or death, or if they are a habitual offender, if they have been arrested or convicted of another crime in the last 30 days, or if they have an outstanding warrant for failing to appear

• Requires jails to prioritize housing county inmates over federal inmates

• Prohibits the Department of Corrections from housing inmates in a private correctional facility, unless the purpose is federal immigration detention or civil detention

• Adds strangulation or choking to DV in the presence of a child 

• Prohibits the use of state funds for a syringe exchange program

• Requires a county sheriff to report statistics on releases due to overcrowding and pretrial release

• Prohibits releasing someone on a financial condition is the offense is a misdemeanor offenses for DV or DUI

The original bill also had provisions like criminalizing mask wearing in public spaces and allowing city prosecutors to prosecute felonies when county prosecutors failed to do so, as well as several provisions related to bail, but all of these were removed due to significant opposition.

HB 323 Correctional Drug Enforcement Amendments requires the Department of Corrections to create a drug abuse and trafficking unit within the department to combat illegal drug abuse and trafficking by inmates and offenders on probation and parole and enhance coordination with law enforcement agencies.

HJR 3 Joint Resolution Regarding State Prisoner Placement in Iron County Correctional Facility supports jail expansion as beneficial to both the state and the counties through a contract with the DOC and approves contracting for additional beds dedicated to housing state inmates in Iron County.

SB 74 Corrections Modifications prohibits those committed to DOC custody from requesting a sex designation change on their birth certificate. It provides that a government entity is not required to respond to people on parole regarding records requests and allows the DOC to independently investigate criminal allegations against individuals in custody and employees of the department. It also modifies the requirements for lethal injection to require any substance used to cause death without severe pain.

SB 115 Substance Use Disorder Revisions requires state correctional facilities and county jails to assess inmates for substance use disorders and use the assessments to assist with treatment and programming decisions. Some jails already do this, but not all, so this will be an important data bill for legislators to see the scope of the issue, especially with the long-anticipated 90-day Medicaid waiver being implemented soon to keep treatment continuous through the criminal justice process.

SB 194 Defendant Access to Evidence Amendments is another very good bill from Sen. Pitcher. It requires that inmates awaiting trial, sentencing, or disposition of criminal charges have access and space to review discovery with counsel, whether via the jail's technology or technology provided by counsel. Sen. Pitcher ensured that the bill had little to no opposition and it passed both houses unanimously.

SJR 5 Joint Resolution Regarding State Prisoner Placement in Juab County Correctional Facility supports jail expansion as beneficial to both the state and the counties and approves contracting for additional beds dedicated to housing state inmates in Juab County.