Author: Mariah Wheeler

UTAH – Today in Utah, teens in treatment can be locked in a room for hours, forced to sit in uncomfortable positions, drugged or physically held down as a form of punishment. When this happens, there’s often not a record of it. Utah Sen. Mike McKell, R-Spanish Fork, wants to change that. He introduced a bill Monday that would greatly enhance the oversight of these businesses, limit what staffers could do to punish young people, make them document when they do use restraints and provide parents with more information. It has early support from an industry group and some activists.…

OGDEN, Utah – An inmate at the Davis County Jail was found dead Wednesday night and authorities say it was a suicide. This is the 11th death at the Davis County Jail since 2016, which prompted Davis County Sheriff Kelly V. Sparks to implement policy changes last year. The inmate, whose name was not released, was a 33-year-old male who had been at the jail for approximately four months. In July, Sheriff Kelly Sparks said in late June that said all protocols — including new ones for mental health — were followed prior to a 25-year-old inmate died by suicide. Before that a Utah attorney died in…