Gov. Gary R. Herbert has appointed Mike Haddon to serve as the executive director of the Utah Department of Corrections.
Haddon has served as deputy director of the Utah Department of Corrections for the past 11 years.
“I appreciate that Mike has nearly three decades of experience in criminal justice – on the state, local, and county levels,” Gov. Herbert said. “He is clearly a talented individual. Most importantly, he understands that we cannot simply warehouse inmates. Instead, we need to focus on rehabilitating people and helping them lead better lives and prepare to be productive citizens.”
“Mike will work with partners in state government to make sure that the new corrections facility in the Northwestern Quadrant is completed in a timely way, making the most of taxpayer dollars,” the governor added. “He will also ensure that this facility is designed to meet the needs of the wide variety of individuals it will service.”
During his time at the Department of Corrections, Haddon has focused on establishing best practices in public safety and effective offender reentry.
“It is truly humbling to be called to serve the citizens of Utah,” Haddon said. “The Utah Department of Corrections works hard each day to keep the public safe and help offenders successfully reintegrate back into society. Much of this success can be credited to our talented and dedicated staff, and I am honored to serve alongside them. Utah has a lot of critically important work ahead related to corrections, and I am confident that, together, we will move the work forward with positive results.”
Haddon was appointed deputy director to the Utah Department of Corrections in January 2007 and again under the direction of former Executive Director Rollin Cook in 2013. In addition to supervising department functions such as finance, research, records, information technology, inmate medical services, correctional industries and policy, Haddon has served as the agency’s legislative liaison.
Prior to his service with Corrections, Haddon served as Director of Research for the Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice and the Utah Sentencing Commission. He has worked in the criminal justice field in Utah for 26 years. He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in economics from Boise State University. He also holds a master’s degree in Public Administration, with an emphasis on criminal justice administration, from the University of Utah.
