Point of the Mountain Prison, Utah

Encyclopedia Article

Article

Officially known as the Utah State Prison in Draper, this correction facility was opened in 1951 and today can house approximately 4,500 inmates. The Draper Prison complex is located about twenty miles south of Salt Lake City, Utah. It has separate units for male and female offenders, and these units range from minimum to maximum security. The prison site is informally called "Point of the Mountain" because it is situated right next to a mountain range by the same name, which forms the eastern parts of the Traverse Mountains.

In Hillerman's 1980 Navajo detective novel People of Darkness, the place is mentioned as "Idaho's Point of the Mountain Prison," although the facility is located in Utah, not in Idaho.

Photo Credit: 

 
"Visitors entrance to the Utah State Prison in Draper, Utah, June 12, 2007" by DR04 is licensed under Public Domain.

Published Works: