County jails changing release process following a mistaken release

SALT LAKE CITY — On Sep. 26, Joseph Armijo was released from the Davis County Jail by mistake. So, the release process is changing.

The 34-year-old Armijo was scheduled to be paroled that day. But, the Board of Pardons and Parole rescinded the approval over a non-violent disciplinary violation.

When the mistake was caught within hours of his release, Adult Probation and Parole agents took Armijo back into custody. He was transported to the Utah State Correctional Facility without incident.

The UDC also suspended all releases from county jails temporarily.

What the release change looks like

Because of this incident, the Utah Department of Corrections is changing its processes for releasing inmates. According to a notice released Wednesday, starting Oct. 18, the release process requires written notification to jails if there is any change in the release status of an individual.

The hope is this will solve the procedural errors the UDC and Davis County made in the release of Armijo. 

While the UDC notified BOPP that Armijo’s parole date was rescinded, the UDC didn’t send a written notification of the status change to Davis County. Armijo and his family were also notified of the rescinded parole and told not to pick him up.

Prior to his release, Davis County didn’t compare their release list with the official release list.

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