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Show Prison Upkeep Costs Taxpayers One-Third Million Annually Utah taxpayers are paying out approximately one third of a million dollars each year to clothe, house and feed its criminals, according to a report issued earlier this week by the Utah Foundation, non-profit tax re- -search agency. The cost will increase substantially sub-stantially before adequate facilities facil-ities and personnel are available avail-able for detention and rehabilitation rehabili-tation of criminals, the report continued. Average prison population st the old Sugar House prison site has exceeded the rated prison capacity nearly every year since 1935, the report states. Normal capacity is stated to be 280 inmates in-mates against such average populations of 489 in 1948 and 481 so far in 1949. Delay Costs Emphasized in the report is the costliness of the long delay in building the new prison at the Point-of-the-Mountain location loca-tion to replace the old Sugar House site, which, along with most of the buildings, was given to the state by the federal government gov-ernment at the time Utah was admitted to the Union. Although acquisition of the new site and construction of prison facilities adequate for 600 prisoners at an estimated cost of $1,250,00 was recommended by a legislative committee as far back as 1929, it was not until 1937 that purchase of the site was authorized. Actual construction con-struction did not begin until 1940, and this was discontinued 20 Years Later "Thus, 20 years after the new project was recommended by the legislative committee appointed ap-pointed to study the problem, Utah has spent nearly $1,500,-000, $1,500,-000, and another $1,750,000 will be needed to complete facilities, all of which could have been procured for $1,250,000 had construction con-struction been completed during dur-ing the decade prior to the war," the report states. Meanwhile, the report points out, expenditures of operation of the state prison in 1949 total $309,284, or triple tlfe amount spent in 1930 for operations when construction of the new prison was under consideration. Of the total, state appropriations appropria-tions provided $272,014 and $37,-270 $37,-270 came from sales and services serv-ices of prison-made goods, including in-cluding income from the prison sign shop, which manufactures most vehicle license plates and road signs for the state. |