coronavirus Archives - Utah Criminal Defense Attorneys https://www.slccriminallawyers.com/tag/coronavirus/ Salt Lake City's Defense Law Firm Thu, 15 Jul 2021 18:04:39 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2 https://www.slccriminallawyers.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/cropped-Utah-Criminal-Defense-Attorneys-Logo-32x32.png coronavirus Archives - Utah Criminal Defense Attorneys https://www.slccriminallawyers.com/tag/coronavirus/ 32 32 Status of Courts with the Lifting of Covid Restrictions https://www.slccriminallawyers.com/status-of-courts-with-the-lifting-of-covid-restrictions/ Thu, 15 Jul 2021 18:04:39 +0000 https://criminal.awebdevz.com/?p=2416 Nearly everyone I know is so grateful Covid-19 restrictions are starting to lift.  I know I am certainly ready for life to get back to some semblance of normal.  I personally, am a people person and enjoy social activities and interactions.  Now that COVID-19 restrictions are being removed, how does this impact how cases are handled in the courts?  Are hearings in person?  Is the backlog we were experiencing being addressed?  In looking at www.utcourts.gov, it is stated that as of June 3, 2021, all counties have moved to the yellow phase of court operations.  In moving to the yellow phase, each individual court and county have flexibility in determining how to resume in-court proceedings.
Under the yellow phase, District and Justice court may begin conducting in-person civil and criminal jury trials, as long as they have as their pandemic risk response plan has been approved by the Management Committee.    In all civil and criminal jury trials, the Defendant has the right, should be chosen to do so, to appear by video conferencing if they have an effective ability to participate, have meaningful interaction with counsel, and the ability to be able to view witnesses and trial participants.  In my experience, the hearings I have attended by video conferencing have been conducted via WebEx. The Judge’s clerk sends an invite through email.
Now that jury trials are being scheduled, it is anticipated that many Utahns will receive notices that they have been called for jury duty.  Judges are anticipating their calendars will be very full with trials this year in the hope of clearing their calendars from the backlog that was created when everything was put on hold due to COVID-19 last year.  Typically, there are approximately 1200 trials held in Utah each year – 350 of which generally involve a jury trial.  I understand that the use of federal COVID-19 relief funds has been approved to bring Judges out of retirement to help address the backlog.
Now that Utah is getting the legal system back on track, trials, hearings, and other judicial matters will start happening, and cases will move forward.
]]> How Does Visitation for Inmates Work with COVID-19 https://www.slccriminallawyers.com/how-does-visitation-for-inmates-work-with-covid-19/ Sun, 19 Apr 2020 17:53:08 +0000 https://criminal.awebdevz.com/?p=2157 Like all other individuals, inmates of the Utah Jail have been impacted by COVID-19. What can you do if you have a loved one or a family member who has been incarcerated? According to CNN, of the 2.3 million incarcerated people in the U.S., about 165,000 are over the age of 55. People in prison and jail are also more at risk.

As such, the Department of Corrections has temporarily suspended all visitation and volunteer work.

“These include Utah State Prison in Draper and the Central Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison. Our department will reevaluate this suspension in two weeks,” according to a statement from the corrections department.

“Incarcerated individuals have been notified that visiting is suspended, and we are encouraging them to continue utilizing phone calls and mail. Attorneys will be permitted to meet with offenders, but only through barrier visits at this time.

The Utah Department of Corrections (UDC) confirmed its first positive case of COVID-19 on April 3, 2020. In response, the following was posted:

05/11/2020: Visiting will remain on hold through June 1, at which time we will again reevaluate.

Recently we created a working group to identify more activities and programs to offer inmates while working by recommendations from the CDC and state officials. Our department is also exploring innovative ways to enhance inmates’ communication with families and friends.

In the meantime, we will continue to offer ten free 15-minute phone calls per week to each inmate.

Public Information Panels and volunteer activities continue to be postponed until further notice.

Visit coronavirus.utah.gov for statewide information.

There have also been some inmates who have been released early in response to COVID-19. More specifically, the Utah Department of Corrections (UDC) is making referrals to the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole (BOPP) to release incarcerated individuals who are already within 180 days of their scheduled release date and have an approved address.

You can learn more here: https://corrections.utah.gov/index.php/home/alerts-2/1239-utah-identifies-early-releases-to-create-additional-capacity-within-correctional-facilities

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