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OREM — Utah's approach to post-incarceration rehabilitation is growing with a new treatment center in Utah County, giving adult male parolees opportunities to receive help with getting back into society and getting their lives in order.
The Timpanogos Community Treatment Center is the sixth post-incarceration treatment facility in Utah and the first in Utah County. The center was five years in the making.
"We're going to house people that have support systems in the community, that already have family or employment opportunities in Utah County. We're going to bring them in and help them get settled, and provide some opportunities to get their feet on the ground," said Luke Lassiter, the center's director.
Parolees will have the opportunity to participate in substance abuse counseling while applying for jobs and getting back into doing normal chores, like laundry. The facility will be staffed around the clock.
It will begin housing 33 parolees in mid-November and eventually grow to house up to 82 parolees.
"You have to imagine, if you've been in prison for a number of years and, all of a sudden, you're asked to just step into society — with all the new technology, there are barriers that are created when you're incarcerated. So when they come out, there are a lot of things to do to get back up on your feet: to get work, to stabilize, to kind of learn how to reintegrate with family and into the community," Department of Corrections Executive Director Brian Redd said.
The treatment center in Orem is different in its design than the other five centers in Utah — its architecture is designed is to make it more like a modern office, as opposed to the other centers appearing like a prison. Utah Rep. Calvin Musselman said the carpeted floors at the Orem facility were far nicer than the concrete floors at the other facilities. The purpose of this design is to help the parolees feel like they are taking steps back to normal life.
Musselman said he hopes the community around the Orem facility will support the corrections process for the individuals housed in the facility.
"This is a good labor force they could rely on and tap into, and be a part of the healing process for the offender and the community and their family," he said.
