SALT LAKE CITY -- The State of Utah released artist renderings of the new state prison's interior design, signaling a shift in management of cell blocks.
The layout allows some guards to monitor the blocks from behind floor-to-ceiling windows, while their partners stroll the block with a technique called direct supervision.
The State Prison Development Commission saw the new designs and got updates on construction and funding at a meeting held Friday.
State Corrections officials said direct supervision has become the standard around the country because it's proven to reduce violence and help prisoners stay on track with education, jobs, and other programs meant to prevent recidivism.
The prison will have a 4,000-bed capacity. Corrections officials told lawmakers that's bigger than most modern prisons around the world.
Construction should be complete in November of 2020, and staff will move in and prepare to welcome prisoners in the Spring of 2021.
