State of Utah Archives: on Crime

Allen Glines: Reported illegal gambling sites and had them shut down

I've assisted with community mental health operations. These efforts involved teaching group sessions and helping individuals live a more independent life. After overhearing a client talking about their struggles with a gambling-like game, I went to authorities to have a business selling gambling machines against state laws and a bingo parlor shutdown. I couldn't stand for a disadvantaged, vulnerable group being taken advantage of by an entity that was trying to profit off of them. Source: 2021 Utah Senate campaign website AllenGlines.com Jul 21, 2021

Allen Glines: Ban private prisons, cash bail, and civil forfeiture

Ban private prisons, cash bail, and civil forfeiture.
End the militarization of police.
End racial and religious profiling.
Explore alternatives to confinement for non-violent, low level offenders.
Ban no-knock warrants.
Ban chokeholds.
Establish nongovernmental entity for investigating where unarmed individuals were killed by law enforcement.
Fund continued processing of backlogged rape kits.
Examine use of solitary confinement in prisons & seek to reduce it.

Source: 2021 Utah Senate campaign website AllenGlines.com Jul 21, 2021

Allen Glines: Increased penalties for facilities, persons for elder abuse

Expand analysis and regulation of nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Increase penalties for facilities that continue to provide substandard care.
Increase penalties for elder abuse offenses in home and healthcare settings.
Lower prescription prices for seniors.
Expand Silver Alert missing persons system to nationwide.
Strengthen elder abuse laws and punishments for people who take advantage of the elderly.

Source: 2021 Utah Senate campaign website AllenGlines.com Jul 21, 2021

Austin Searle: Police should only carry tasers, not guns

Law enforcement, including police officers, should only carry a taser. Recently, an officer mistook a gun for a taser and brutally murdered a young man from Minnesota. The company that manufactures tasers says it has implemented new design features and training recommendations to reduce the chances of law enforcement officers confusing the electroshock weapon for a handgun when using force. Source: 2021-2022 Utah Senate race website AustinForSenate.com Jun 27, 2021

Craig Bowden: Rehabilitation instead of punishment

Q: Do you agree or disagree with the statement, "Stricter punishment reduces crime"?

A: I prefer a rehabilitative approach with restitution to victims as opposed to simply punishment.

Source: OnTheIssues interview of 2018 Utah Senate candidate Feb 28, 2018

Evan McMullin: Our criminal justice system must treat everyone equally

We maintain that the impartial rule of law is essential to a free and just society to protect the rights, safety and property of all people. No one is above the law, including public officials, and our criminal justice system must treat everyone equally without discrimination based on race, status or other unrelated factors. Source: 2022 Utah Senate campaign website EvanMcMullin.com Jun 10, 2022

Gary Herbert: Authorize construction of new state prison

Excerpts from legislation: HB 454: Authorizes Construction of New State Prison This bill:

creates the Prison Development Commission and provides for its membership, duties, and operation;
provides for Division of Facilities Construction and Management oversight of the prison design and construction project;
enacts a local option sales and use tax for a city or town that has a new state correctional facility;
authorizes the issuance of bonds for the prison project;
creates a restricted account and capital projects fund for the prison project;
provides a process for the choice of a new prison site; and

Legislative outcome: Bill passed House, 59-14, March 12; passed Senate, 19-10; March 12; signed by Gov. Herbert March 25 Source: Utah legislative voting records: HB 454 Mar 25, 2015

Greg Hughes: Round up offenders and offer jail or treatment

Hughes believes anonymity breeds lawlessness. Hughes' proposed sweeps would be daily. Offenders would be taken to an off-site processing area, and, they'd either be booked into jail beds, sent to mental health or addiction treatment, or bused back to Rio Grande having had their bad habits interrupted. Some might be sent to other states on outstanding warrants. The key is these individuals would become known to the system. Source: Salt Lake Tribune on 2020 Utah gubernatorial race Jul 22, 2017

Jenny Wilson: Beef up laws to address targeted hate crimes

[Citing a Facebook posting from DESERETNEWS.COM]: "Salt Lake County has joined a handful of other Utah cities and counties urging state lawmakers to pass stricter hate crimes laws. The County Council unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday urging the Utah Legislature to beef up laws to address crimes that target people because of their race, religion or sexual orientation."

Jenny Wilson for Senate Facebook response: "Progress. Proud that the County Council on which I serve passed this unanimously and with an expanded list of commonly targeted religious groups. It's time to start measuring the success of our communities by how we treat our most vulnerable members. This resolution calls upon Utah's legislature to step up."

Source: Facebook posting on 2018 Utah Senate race Jan 11, 2018

Jon Huntsman: Supports death penalty but not necessarily expanding it

The House said anyone convicted of murdering a child under 14 should be eligible for the death penalty. The bill has been criticized by death-penalty opponents, who want Utah to join other states in restricting or eliminating capital punishment.

Maryland, N.J. and Washington are considering eliminating the death penalty or limiting its use. In the Utah House, this legislation passed, 72-0. Gov. Jon Huntsman supports the death penalty but has said he's not ready to take a position on expanding it

Source: Utah Valley Daily Herald, p. A8 Feb 6, 2007

Kamala Harris: Ban chokeholds by police; registry of police crimes

Bad cops are bad for good cops. We need reform of our policing in America and our criminal justice system, which is why Joe and I will immediately ban choke holds and carotid holes. George Floyd would be alive today if we did that. We will require a national registry for police officers who break the law. Source: 2020 Vice-Presidential Debate in Utah Oct 7, 2020

Mike Pence: Yes to justice for George Floyd; no to riots

I trust our justice system. There's no excuse for what happened to George Floyd. Justice will be served, but there's also no excuse for the rioting and looting that followed. Flora Westbrook is with us here tonight in Salt Lake City. Just a few weeks ago, I stood at what used to be her salon. It was burned to the ground by rioters and looters. And Flora is still trying to put her life back together. Source: 2020 Vice-Presidential Debate in Utah Oct 7, 2020

Mike Weinholtz: Fully fund indigent defense; protect 6th Amendment rights

Utah is one of the few states in the country that delegates indigent defense funding to the counties, meaning many public defenders are overworked and unable to provide adequate defense. Our justice system depends on fair trials where both sides have access to an attorney, and Utah needs to do more to protect the 6th Amendment right to counsel. I will work to create a state-wide public defense agency, or a fairer funding mechanism, so smaller counties stop struggling to fund indigent defense. Source: 2016 Utah gubernatorial campaign website MikeForUtah.com Jun 17, 2016

Misty Snow: End private prisons; end profit in incarceration

We need to end private prisons. There should not be a profit motive behind incarcerating people. As prison populations increase, for-profit prisons make more money. This creates incentives to imprison as many people for as long as possible. Consequently, the prison industry lobbies our legislators to pass "tough on crime" laws that lead to longer sentences, often for non-violent offenses. All of this creates a criminal justice system that is based on profits rather than rehabilitation.

We need to seriously reform our justice system in this country. We need to change the way we train our police officers, and refocus our criminal justice system on rehabilitation.

Source: 2016 Utah Senate campaign website MistyKSnow.com Aug 8, 2016

Misty Snow: Why so many people in prison? Why so many minorities?

The United States has more people in prison than any other nation in the world, and the highest per-capita prison population in the world. We have more people in prison per capita than both China and Russia. Why, in the so-called "land of the free" do we have so many people in prison?

This trend is even more troubling when you look at the demographics of who is going to prison. African Americans, Hispanics, Muslims, and trans* people are incarcerated disproportionately when compared to the nation's population as a whole. Minorities are also more likely to be stopped, searched, arrested, charged, tried, convicted, incarcerated, or simply killed by police. These are very disturbing trends.

People shouldn't be profiled for their race, their ethnicity, their religion or their gender identity. People shouldn't feel like they are being targeted for walking, driving, boarding an airplane, or even shopping while they are black, brown, Muslim or Trans*.

Source: 2016 Utah Senate campaign website MistyKSnow.com Aug 8, 2016

Spencer Cox: Police reform part of an ongoing process as we gather data

The governor told reporters he credits police in Utah with being open to change, particularly after the death of George Floyd. The bills signed by Cox beef up training for officers, data reporting requirements, and regulations on using force, among other things. "I don't think we're done, and I don't think they think we're done," said Cox, speaking of law enforcement. "I think that as we gather data, we're going to find areas where we can improve, and then we'll implement those improvements." Source: KUTV on 2024 Utah Gubernatorial race Jul 19, 2023

Phil Lyman: Pardoned by President Trump after conviction for ATV protest

State Rep. Phil Lyman had his federal conviction on charges of leading an illegal ATV protest on federal lands wiped out in a pardon by outgoing President Trump. "People should not fear prosecution when they have done nothing illegal and I hope that my experience brings attention to the persistent federal attacks on rural Utah by the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. attorneys, activist federal judges, and career politicians who choose to sit quietly when the moment calls for them to stand." Source: Salt Lake Tribune on 2024 Utah Gubernatorial race Dec 22, 2020

Brian King: Authorize construction of new state prison

Excerpts from legislation:

creates the Prison Development Commission and provides for its membership, duties, and operation;
provides for Division of Facilities Construction and Management oversight of the prison design and construction project;
enacts a local option sales and use tax for a city or town that has a new state correctional facility;
authorizes the issuance of bonds for the prison project;
creates a restricted account and capital projects fund for the prison project;
provides a process for the choice of a new prison site; and

Legislative outcome: Bill passed House, 59-14, March 12; State Rep. Brian King voted YES; passed Senate, 19-10; March 12; signed by Gov. Herbert March 25. Source: Utah legislative voting records: HB 454 Mar 25, 2015

Trent Staggs: Crime is running amok on American streets

Thanks to the insanity of the defund the police movement, widespread acceptance of rioting, and corrupt Soros district attorneys, crime is running amok on American streets. The homicide rate alone increased by 30% in 2020! Although the soft-on-crime philosophy is frequently couched in terms of "racial justice," we know that the Democrats' defund the police movement has hurt racial minorities the most. Source: 2024 Utah Senate campaign website TrentStaggs.com Mar 1, 2024

Brad Wilson: Authorize construction of new state prison

Excerpts from legislation:

creates the Prison Development Commission and provides for its membership, duties, and operation;
provides for Division of Facilities Construction and Management oversight of the prison design and construction project;
enacts a local option sales and use tax for a city or town that has a new state correctional facility;
authorizes the issuance of bonds for the prison project;
creates a restricted account and capital projects fund for the prison project;
provides a process for the choice of a new prison site.

Legislative outcome: Bill passed House, 59-14, March 12; State Rep. Brad Wilson voted YES; passed Senate, 19-10; March 12; signed by Gov. Herbert March 25. Source: Utah legislative voting records: HB 454 Mar 12, 2015

Kamala Harris: In CA, created many first-time criminal justice reforms

I was the first statewide officer to institute a requirement that my agents would wear body cameras and keep them on full-time. We were the first to initiate a requirement that there would be training for law enforcement on implicit bias because yes, Joe Biden and I recognize that implicit bias does exist. We did the work of instituting reforms that were about investing in re-entry. This is the work that we have done and the work we will do going forward. Source: 2020 Vice-Presidential Debate in Utah Oct 7, 2020

Mike Kennedy: Authorize construction of new state prison

Excerpts from legislation:

creates the Prison Development Commission and provides for its membership, duties, and operation;
provides for Division of Facilities Construction and Management oversight of the prison design and construction project;
enacts a local option sales and use tax for a city or town that has a new state correctional facility;
authorizes the issuance of bonds for the prison project;
creates a restricted account and capital projects fund for the prison project;
provides a process for the choice of a new prison site.

Legislative outcome: Bill passed House, 59-14, March 12; State Sen. Mike Kennedy voted YES; passed Senate, 19-10; March 12; signed by Gov. Herbert March 25. Source: Utah legislative voting records: HB 454 Mar 12, 2015

The above quotations are from State of Utah Politicians: Archives. Click here for definitions & background information on Crime. Click here for other issues (main summary page).
*2024 Presidential contenders on Crime:*
	*Candidates for President & Vice-President:* V.P.Kamala Harris (D-CA) Robert F. Kennedy Jr.(I-CA) Chase Oliver(L-GA) Dr.Jill Stein(D-MA) Former Pres.Donald Trump(R-FL) Sen.J.D.Vance(R-OH) Gov.Tim Walz(D-MN) Dr.Cornel West(I-NJ)	*2024 presidential primary contenders:* Pres.Joe_Biden(D-DE) N.D.Gov.Doug Burgum(R) N.J.Gov.Chris_Christie(R) Fla.Gov.Ron_DeSantis(R) S.C.Gov.Nikki_Haley(R) Ark.Gov.Asa_Hutchinson(R) Former V.P.Mike Pence(R-IN) U.S.Rep.Dean_Phillips(D-MN) Vivek_Ramaswamy(R-OH) S.C.Sen.Tim_Scott(R)
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Page last updated: Feb 07, 2026