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Posted: 5:50 PM- State inmates are returning to the Daggett County jail, six weeks after two convicted murders escaped from behind bars there.
The Department of Corrections sent 10 inmates to the jail Wednesday, said department spokesman Jack Ford. The inmates have convictions for nonviolent offenses, he said.
The department plans to place as many as 50 state inmates at the jail, where security has been improved and procedures changed, said jail commander Jerry Jorgensen.
"We've got it shaped up a little bit, a little cleaning and painting and trying to change our practices," Jorgensen said.
Jorgensen, a former warden at the state prison in Gunnison, said the Daggett County jail has installed additional fencing, razor wire and cameras. The jail has new guards trained in the state's corrections academy, he said, and in the meantime, staffing has been changed to ensure better security.
He declined to elaborate, citing safety concerns.
Daggett County is among 21 county jails that contract with Corrections to hold state inmates. The state of Utah and the counties describe the arrangement as a way to save the state the cost of building new prisons while providing an economic boost to counties.
The escape of murderers Danny Martin Gallegos and Juan Carlos Diaz-Arevalo last month highlighted deficiencies at Daggett County's jail, including a lack of guards and an extra fence that had not been installed. The men slipped through an unlocked back door and made their escape on Sept. 23, but were captured in Wyoming six days later.
Corrections removed state inmates from the facility after the escape. The state inmates began returning when the department saw changes had been made.
"We've been up there and inspected the work and we're comfortable," Ford said.
The Daggett County jail also incarcerates federal inmates. The U.S. Marshals Service inspected the jail after the September escape and requested some changes, said chief deputy marshal for Utah, Jim Thompson. The Marshals Service also replaced some of its inmates with those deemed to pose a lesser security risk.
Thompson said the Marshals Service and the jail have enjoyed a good relationship.
"They've been very helpful to us in the past and we want to do the same for them," Thompson said.
Dellene Alvis, a Manila City Council member who lives a mile from the jail, said she was unhappy with the sheriff when inmates escaped in September. But she thinks it's safe to return state inmates there, and said the county needs the revenue from the state.
"The main priority is to keep the jail under very strict regulation," Alvis said.
The escapes in Manila and escapes from jails in Garfield and Beaver counties spurred the state earlier this month to remove about 300 violent offenders from jails across Utah. The process to replace them with inmates convicted of nonviolent offenses has begun, Ford said.
Corrections has said it inspected the 21 jails it uses and has established regular inspections.
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