The Wyoming Department of Corrections (WDOC) has transferred an additional 30 inmates back to in-state facilities from the Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility (TCCF) in Mississippi, as staffing improvements continue within the agency, Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports.
The department originally moved 240 inmates to TCCF in November 2023 due to significant staffing shortages across Wyoming correctional facilities. Since then, the agency has been working to rebuild its workforce and gradually return inmates to the state.
“A great number of recruiting efforts have been undertaken, including a contract with a professional staffing and recruiting firm, higher starting wages, and training and development for staff,” WDOC Public Information Officer Stephanie Dack said in a statement.
These efforts, she added, have led to an increase in the number of correctional officers at all state-run facilities, including the Wyoming State Penitentiary in Rawlins and the Wyoming Women’s Center in Lusk.
In November 2023, the WDOC returned 60 inmates to state facilities. The most recent transfer of 30 inmates occurred on May 20. According to the department, an additional 15 inmates have been brought back to Wyoming over time in smaller or individual transports.
Despite the recent returns, 135 inmates remain at the Mississippi facility as the department continues its recruitment and retention initiatives. WDOC has not disclosed the number of staff still needed to bring the rest of the inmates back, citing security concerns.
“We evaluate staffing and operations regularly,” Dack said. “Staffing has improved, and we are optimistic about returning all of our inmates to Wyoming. We do not share specific staffing numbers.”
The department has previously discussed staffing benchmarks publicly. In 2023, WDOC Director Dan Shannon told the Legislature’s Joint Appropriations Committee that more than 130 staff vacancies existed across the department. At the time, the vacancy rate was 33% at the Wyoming State Penitentiary and 43% at the Wyoming Women’s Center. Shannon noted that the primary issue was recruitment, not retention.
“We clearly are retaining staff, but we’re not receiving applications,” Shannon told the committee.
It remains unclear how many of those positions have since been filled. WDOC stated that staffing data is protected under Wyoming Statute 16-4-203(b)(vi) and cannot be disclosed, as doing so could compromise the safety and security of correctional facilities.
The department continues to house some inmates in Wyoming county jails, in addition to those in Mississippi, until staffing levels are sufficient to support all inmates in-state.
WDOC has also declined to release information about how it determines which inmates are returned to Wyoming. Dack said those decisions are based on multiple factors and that sharing the criteria could pose security risks.
While visitation procedures at TCCF are reported to be similar to those in Wyoming, distance presents challenges for inmates’ families.
“We recognize it is more challenging for families when their loved ones are housed out of state,” Dack wrote.
