SALT LAKE CITY — It's dark, it's cold, it's the middle of the night and several women have just been let out of the Salt Lake County jail. It’s part of the 24/7 release policy at the jail.

Female inmates gain their freedom even during the darkest hours, and women are particularly vulnerable in this situation. The jail is located in an industrial area near 3300 South 900 West, so those who are released overnight find there aren’t many options available to them.

In this area, the buses aren't running overnight, and most businesses are closed. For many women, finding a ride away from this area is a big issue. They tell us predators are known to wait and watch, hoping to prey upon someone who is vulnerable.

A dangerous time of night

Chantel Deville has firsthand experience with the dangers that many women experience.

“The first time for me was very scary,” she said. “You could be released anywhere from 2 a.m. to 5:30 in the morning, and most times you don't have anybody to call to come get you.”

She tells of experiences with predators patrolling the area around the jail waiting for women to be released.

“There are guys, guys who want more from you,” she said. “It’s making a choice whether you’re willing to do that for a ride or not.”

Deville has found herself in this situation many times. She’s been in and out of jail dozens of times and said more often than not she was released in the early-morning hours.

Michelle Fleming tells a similar story.

“I kind of hung out at the Maverik and called a bunch of people. I mean, it's 2 in the morning. Who are you going to call?" she said. “I lived on the street for about two years, so I was kind of used to wandering around late at night. But I can definitely see, if that would have happened to me my first time going in, it probably would have been a little nerve-wracking."

Cynthia Stewart Valdez was just recently released from jail at 1 a.m. She was waiting outside the gas station for a ride.

"If you look around, it's not very safe for us out here. It's a wonder these girls don't get picked up by people that are trying to solicit them and go back out and get into trouble," Valdez said.

'A very fine balance'

The problem is no surprise to jail officials. We asked if it was a concern at the sherriff’s office.

“It's certainly a concern. We don't want anyone to fall victim to anything when they get released from our facility. We’ve had to call the South Salt Lake Police before," Sgt. Cammie Skogg, the Public Information Officer for the Corrections Bureau.

According to Skogg, there are many reasons for the 24/7 release policy at the Salt Lake County Jail. The jail releases anywhere between 90 and 100 people a day, and currently the facility is full.

“Unfortunately we are full. We book in just as many people as we release every day, so we need to kick them out because we are bringing someone in to fill that space," Skoggs said.

Some inmates are booked and released on the same day or make bail. These people can be released at all hours of the day too. Constitutionally, the jail can’t hold them after their paperwork has been processed.

“It’s a very fine balance between not holding someone here unlawfully and not releasing them into a situation that is not reasonable," Skoggs noted.

Hope for the hopeless

But luckily for some of the women at the jail, there are volunteer mentors who are willing to rescue them any time day or night. Husband and wife Viola and Curtis Murray of Draper have made dozens of trips in the early-morning hours to save women in need. They served as volunteer mentors at the jail as part of the Inner City Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“It rips your heart out that a human being could be so desolate,” said Viola Murray. “We've seen them released in paper jumpsuits in the rain and the wind, waiting for us to arrive. Most of them just cry because they are so grateful. They don’t even care where we are going, they are just happy they are in a car and they are safe.”

The Murrays spent years as volunteers at the jail, and they currently volunteer at the state prison helping women there. No matter the hour, they would show up, swoop in and save women.

The Murrays, and other volunteer mentors like them, are not paid to come. They do it for other reasons.

“It’s nice to be able to do something positive for somebody and help them out,” Curtis Murray said. “We see some great results and we learn a lot from them.”

"I’ve always had a soft spot for empowering women. Women need advocates, and I just love them," Viola Murray agreed.

The help the Murrays offer these women does not go unnoticed. Both Deville and Fleming have benefited from the Murrays' kindness and are forever grateful to them.

“If it wasn’t' for them, I’d be back out there on the street,” said Deville. “I’d still be stuck in that addiction. I don't know if I’d still be alive today.”

“They came and got me and put me in a safe place to live, an extended stay,” said Fleming. “Their emotional support has been incredible for me.”

The Murrays, and others like them, provide hope to the hopeless.

Contributing: Mike Headrick

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