Why Is Wyoming's Incarceration Rate Rising When America's Is Falling?

Every weekday at 2 p.m. a metal door swings open in a Casper courtroom and people wearing shackles and orange jumpsuits shuffle inside. The defendants, mostly men, wait for a judge to call their case and read them their rights.

They’ll be asked about bond and whether they need an attorney. On a busy day, the process may repeat itself two dozen times.

Many will eventually be found guilty of a crime and serve probation or time in county jail.

A portion of them, however, will become inmates in the custody of Wyoming’s Department of Corrections. Since 2007, the number of people who ultimately find themselves in state prisons has been declining across the country — but not so in Wyoming.

Wyoming’s prisons are stressed by budget cuts, understaffing and, in the case of the state penitentiary, dilapidated facilities. And while incarceration rates have dropped nationwide, Wyoming’s have been headed in the other direction — with little sign of slowing.

The question is why.