Since 2007, the Salt Lake County jail has released more than 100,000 people early because it didn't have room to hold them. A state audit released last December showed what those releases have cost, and lawmakers heard the findings again this month. The jail is still close to full, and the upcoming sheriff's race will decide what to do about it.

Doers-endorsed candidate Shane Manwaring has made that decision the center of his campaign. Here’s his plan to fix the problem. 

 

The problem

The Utah Office of the Legislative Auditor General reviewed jail releases from January through May 2025. It found that:

• 1,785 people were released because of overcrowding, compared with 1,311 who were released after finishing their sentences.

• Someone released for overcrowding spent on average about 12 hours in jail

• 38.4% were arrested on new charges within 90 days, compared to 22% of judge-ordered releases, 12.7% of bail releases, and 11.2% of pretrial releases

• The rearrest rate for overcrowding releases has gone up every year, from 26.6% in 2022.

People released for overcrowding were also more likely to be rearrested on first- and second-degree felonies, and they missed court dates about twice as often as others. 

 

How we got here, and what's changed

The county has known about this problem for a long time. Separate reviews in 2011, 2015, 2017, and 2024 all recommended more jail space. The 2024 study called for 900 more beds at the Adult Detention Center. Over the last 25 years, the county grew by about 300,000 residents, and jail capacity stayed the same. In 2024, voters turned down a $507 million public safety bond that would have paid for new jail space.

The Legislature stepped in with HB 312 Criminal Justice Amendments (2025). The law bars counties from releasing people arrested for violent crimes, felony drug crimes, fentanyl possession, or a DUI that causes death or serious injury. After the county reopened a third housing pod at Oxbow Jail, overcrowding releases stopped on June 1, 2025.

But the underlying problem remains. The jail runs at 91 to 95% capacity, and the 2024 study recommended closing Oxbow. The audit told the county to track recidivism and to use risk assessments in any future releases. It also said to update the jail population forecast and find a way to pay for expansion. 

 

Shane's plan

Shane supports building more jail space. He says openly that it will cost taxpayers a lot but feels like the timing matters most. The county should have built when the earlier studies recommended it and construction was cheaper. Every year of delay adds to the final price, so he wants county leaders to start now. 

He also points to something the release numbers don't show directly. When someone with a drug dependency is booked into jail, their drugs are confiscated. If that person is released a few hours later, often in the middle of the night, they may walk out in severe withdrawal with no treatment, no ride, and no support. Shane says that makes another crime to get drugs more likely, sometimes the same night.

In his view, jail space, addiction treatment, and public safety are one problem, and the sheriff's office needs to handle them together.

 

Now what?

Shane won the Republican nomination with 66% of the delegate vote at the Salt Lake County convention. He is a law enforcement leader with the Unified Police Department and a colonel in the Utah Army National Guard, with more than two decades of combined military and law enforcement experience. At UPD, he served as a lieutenant assigned to Kearns.

The Doers Network is proud to endorse Shane Manwaring for Salt Lake County Sheriff. He has named the county's hardest public safety problem and offered a plan to fix it, including an honest account of what the plan will cost. His record in the Unified Police Department and the Utah Army National Guard shows he knows how to lead large teams under pressure. His work in Kearns keeps him close to the neighborhoods the sheriff's office serves. Salt Lake County needs that kind of leadership right now.

Follow the Doers Network for more on local candidates and the issues on your ballot.