SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah authorities say the prison population has grown faster than most states in the past few years.
KSL-TV reported Monday that the Utah Sentencing Commission saw a dramatic surge in prison population as new crimes and drug violations led to more convictions.
The U.S. Department of Justice reported in April that Utah’s prison population increased by 4.3% from the end of 2016 to the end of 2017, faster than every state except Idaho at 5.1%.
State authorities say the average daily inmate population continued to increase, adding 165 prisoners between August 2018 and July 2019.
Authorities say more people returning to prison on technical violations, including non-violent petty crimes, drove increases.
Officials say they expected Utah’s prison population to rise with the increase in the state’s general population.
