Lawmakers consider CUCF expansion

GUNNISON — Utah lawmakers are weighing a request for roughly $130 million in new funding to expand the Central Utah Correctional Facility (CUCF) in Gunnison, raising questions about prison growth just four years after the state opened a major new prison in Salt Lake City.
Sponsored by Rep. Karianne Lisonbee, R-Clearfield, the request has been assigned to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Appropriations Subcommittee.

Officials say the state prison system is operating near capacity, prompting the push for more beds in Gunnison. But information on the number of beds that would be added if the $130 million were approved was not yet available.

CUCF houses approximately 1,800 inmates. The Utah Department of Corrections (UDC) oversees the facility along with the Utah State Correctional Facility near Salt Lake City, which opened in 2022 at a cost of about $1 billion and holds roughly 3,000 inmates.
Budget documents show the combined statewide capacity of the two correctional facilities at about 7,200 beds and current usage near 92 %.
Lawmakers and UDC leaders have cited concerns that continued population growth could strain capacity and lead to emergency releases if additional space isn’t added.

The expansion proposal has drawn scrutiny from legislators and members of the public alike, with some questioning the timing of another large prison expenditure so soon after opening of the Salt Lake City-based prison.
Responses to media requests for comment from UDC and Rep. Lisonbee were limited at press time.