Utah Department of Corrections has “culture of noncompliance”, audit says

SALT LAKE CITY — In the second audit by Utah legislature in 17 months, prison healthcare is “continuing” and has “created systemic deficiencies and event perpetuated some existing systemic deficiencies.”

Former inmate Kent Makin is worried about the health of his wife, who is currently an inmate at the new billion-dollar Salt Lake City prison.

“Her tooth got removed and there was a bone spur stuck into her, in the gum,” Makin said. “She was in so much pain because of that tooth. And it happened on other, other people that have had an infection after teeth pulled.”

To Makin, it seemed as if the staff didn’t care at all, citing such issues never arose at the former Draper prison.

The Utah legislature has audited prison healthcare twice in seventeen months. Another hearing Wednesday examined what auditor Nicole Luscher called a “culture of noncompliance.”

“We believe that previous bureau leadership contributed to this culture of noncompliance,” said Luscher. “However, despite management’s efforts, this culture of noncompliance is continuing and it has created systemic deficiencies and even perpetuated some existing systemic deficiencies.”

Auditor Brian Dean watched staff give medications in one instance, including narcotics, to inmates. But staff didn’t document those medications on patient charts.

“If it’s not charted, it didn’t happen in the medical community,” said Dean.

In another stance, identifiable medical records were found intact in dumpsters.

“They do have the shred bins and in the instances that we see this is a problem that shouldn’t be happening, basically,” said Dean. “You’ve got to address these root cause issues that speak to culture.”

Enter the governor’s new appointee to lead The Department of Corrections, Brian Redd, who began work Monday.

“We will do everything we can to support our employees,” said Redd. “To model good behavior and to create frameworks, policies that will help them be successful so they don’t make mistakes.”

The Utah legislature in recent years has spent millions of new dollars to increase pay to hire and retain more prison staff, especially corrections officers.