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Whit Johnson reporting The rededication of the newly renovated Utah State Capital building isn't until Friday, but behind the scenes some unlikely movers are out from behind bars and hard at work. The movers are inmates from the Utah State Prison in Draper.
Everything from office chairs to an old desk, it's moving day at the state capitol. But the guys doing the heavy lifting aren't listed in your local telephone book. They're all prison inmates, part the Utah Correctional Industry (UCI) work program.
"It's a good way to give back to the community. It really is," inmate Marc Curtis said.
"You know they could come back years from now and show their kids that they worked on this building," UCI project manager James Redmond said.
The inmates are level-five offenders, minimal risk to the public. For every eight of them, there are two supervising officers.
"They gave me six years, and I'm almost done," Curtis said.
They're convicted of crimes ranging from drug use to burglary, but most of them see their work at the capitol as a privilege and a way to learn some valuable skills. "It's made me become aware of the hard work that I have to do to stay out. And again, it helps me get back into society instead of just around other inmates," inmate John Tomadakis said.
The job comes with a little irony considering they're moving boxes for the same people who created the laws that put them behind bars. But these men are all smiles as they do their part in what is soon to become state history.
Inmates with UCI also have helped with some of the capitol's renovation and the initial move out of the building, which saved the state an estimated $200,000. Female inmates also have been a major part of the move.
