SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A state panel has made its recommendations for how to deal with the high number of deaths in Utah’s jails, but lawmakers and officials are warning the suggestions could come with hefty price tags.
The Standard-Examiner reports the 27-member workgroup released a report Monday with recommendations aimed at curbing suicide and substance-related deaths after a record 27 jail deaths were reported in 2016.
The recommendations include screening inmates’ health before or immediately after booking, using technology that allows health staff to perform assessments or prescribe medication remotely, and forming a committee to develop policies and procedures for inmate treatment.
Reed Richards, a Weber County deputy attorney who represented the Utah Sheriffs’ Association on the panel, says there’s a cost attached to each recommendation.
