# Wyoming

Wyoming’s Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission certifies Department of Corrections (WDOC) correctional officers and county and municipal detention officers, and a felony conviction after appointment automatically revokes a correctional officer’s certificate. County jails are run by sheriffs, with no state standards body. Since 2023 the State has made drone flights over prisons a crime, required employers to give POST complaint-related personnel records, let WDOC investigation records be withheld as investigatory records, raised law enforcement retirement contributions and death benefits, and let county jails contract to hold people awaiting competency evaluation. No statute limiting restrictive housing or setting a corrections use-of-force rule was found.

Source: https://uscli.org/corrections-tracker/wyoming

## At a glance

- **Certifying body:** POST Commission, which also certifies peace officers and dispatchers; see the [Officer Ledger page](https://uscli.org/officer-certification-tracker/wyoming). WDOC correctional officers have their own statutory certification track ([W.S. 9-1-710](https://wyoleg.gov/statutes/compress/title09.pdf)) and POST rule chapter (ch. 7). County and municipal detention officers who supervise people in a jail or holding facility are “peace officers” when qualified under 9-1-701 to 9-1-707 (7-2-101(a)(iv)(H)) and have their own rule chapter (ch. 4).
- **Statute:** W.S. 9-1-701 to 9-1-711 (9-1-704, peace and detention officers; 9-1-710, correctional officers). POST rules: chapters 2 (employment standards), 4 (detention officers), 7 (correctional officers), and 8 and 9 (denial, suspension, revocation) ([Wyoming Administrative Rules](https://rules.wyo.gov/Search.aspx?mode=7)); the Officer Ledger reports the current chapters have been in effect since January 5, 2018. Jails: W.S. 18-6-301 et seq. Probation and parole: W.S. 7-13-401 et seq.
- **Minimum standards:** Correctional officers appointed on or after July 1, 2005 must be U.S. citizens and adults; be fingerprinted, with results sent to POST; have no conviction punishable by penitentiary imprisonment unless reversed, annulled, or pardoned; hold a high school diploma or equivalent; pass a background investigation before employment or training; be free of disqualifying physical, emotional, or mental conditions, shown by a physician’s examination, a physical fitness test set by the hiring agency, and a psychologist’s or psychiatrist’s evaluation; and pass an oral interview ([9-1-710(b)](https://wyoleg.gov/statutes/compress/title09.pdf)). WDOC may set higher standards (9-1-710(n)). Detention officers fall under the same POST chapter 2 standards as peace officers.
- **Basic training:** Correctional officers must earn a POST certificate within 1 year of original appointment by completing a commission-approved basic training program and showing “the core competencies of a correctional officer as defined by the employing agency in cooperation with the commission.” POST may extend the deadline by up to 180 days, and part-time officers have 2 years (9-1-710(c) to (e)). Trainees receive wages and reasonable expenses (9-1-710(g)). WDOC’s [Training Academy page](https://corrections.wyo.gov/facilities/training-acadamy) says “Our P.O.S.T. Certified Basic Training Academy is nine weeks of intense training,” and the same page refers to a “ten-week academy.” Detention officers may not be permanently appointed for more than 1 year without completing a commission-approved detention basic course (9-1-704(e); POST Rules ch. 4). Course hours were not found in statute or the rule chapters read.
- **In-service training:** The commission must set continuing education for correctional officers by rule (9-1-702(k)(i)). In the POST rules compilation linked from the [POST website](https://post.wyo.gov/), basic certification for correctional and detention officers is valid for 2 years. Advanced certification requires 20 more hours of approved training and 1 more year of experience within 2 years of basic certification, or recertification is denied. Professional certification requires 40 more hours and 3 more years (less with a degree), and professional and reserve certificate holders must complete 20 hours every 2 years (POST Rules ch. 4 and ch. 7, secs. 2 to 5).
- **Decertification:** See the [Officer Ledger page](https://uscli.org/officer-certification-tracker/wyoming) for POST’s mandatory and discretionary grounds (POST Rules ch. 8), which apply to correctional and detention officers. For correctional officers specifically, a felony conviction after appointment automatically revokes certification (9-1-710(h)); employers must notify POST within 15 days of appointment, termination, or resignation (9-1-710(a)); and since July 1, 2024, employers must give POST complaint-related personnel records within 30 days of a request (9-1-710(o)). No public decertification list was found.
- **Jail standards:** No state jail standards or inspection body was found. The sheriff “shall keep and maintain the jail in a safe and secure manner and is responsible for its operation” (W.S. 18-6-302(a)) and must arrange medical care for prisoners (18-6-303(b)). Jail construction plans are prepared by an architect and reviewed by the sheriff (18-6-201). Since July 1, 2026, the Department of Health may designate county detention facilities to hold and treat people awaiting competency evaluation or restoration (7-11-308).
- **Probation and parole officers:** Probation and parole agents are employees of WDOC’s Division of Field Services ([W.S. 7-13-401(a)(xiv)](https://wyoleg.gov/statutes/compress/title07.pdf)); the field services administrator coordinates their hiring (7-13-405(c)), and 7-13-407 sets their duties. Statute does not list them among the officers POST certifies, and whether they hold peace officer certification in practice was not confirmed. They are in the law enforcement retirement plan with correctional and detention officers (9-3-402(a)(xviii)), and assaulting or disarming an agent is treated as assaulting or disarming a peace officer (6-5-204(d)). No statutory training requirement specific to agents was found.
- **Restrictive housing:** No statutory limit on solitary confinement or restrictive housing was found. Statute says only that “a prisoner shall not be considered to be held in solitary confinement solely because he is the only prisoner in the jail” (18-6-315) and requires a person sentenced to death to be held in solitary confinement until execution, with listed visitor exceptions (7-13-907). WDOC policy was not reviewed.
- **Corrections use of force:** No corrections-specific statutory rule on use of force or restraints, and no statute on restraining pregnant incarcerated people, was found in Titles 7, 18, or 25. Since February 28, 2023, the person in charge of a penal institution may take reasonable actions, under WDOC rules, to stop unauthorized drones (6-5-214(e)). WDOC policy was not reviewed.

## Changes, 2023 to 2026

- Jul 1, 2026 — **County jails may contract to hold and treat people awaiting competency evaluation** — SF 10 (2026), Laws 2026, ch. 67, creating W.S. 7-11-308 and amending 1-39-103, 1-39-109, 1-39-110, and 7-11-301 · Signed March 6, 2026; effective July 1, 2026 — The Department of Health “may designate county detention facilities as qualified to provide security, examination or treatment to accused persons” awaiting competency evaluation or restoration, and contract with those facilities or their counties. A contracted county jail becomes a “facility” under the competency statutes. People employed by or contracting with these facilities are “public employees” under the Governmental Claims Act, and the medical-facility and health-care-provider liability waivers do not apply to these services. The act appropriates up to $5,000,000 for July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2028, reduced dollar for dollar by any 2026 budget-bill (HB 1 or SF 1) money for the same purpose. The Department of Health must report to the Joint Judiciary Interim Committee by October 1, 2027. — **For corrections staff:** Your jail may hold and treat people awaiting competency evaluation under a state contract, with Governmental Claims Act coverage for that work. — [SF 10 enrolled act](https://wyoleg.gov/2026/Enroll/SF0010.pdf)[SF 10 bill data](https://lsoservice.wyoleg.gov/api/BillInformation/2026/SF0010)
- Jul 1, 2024 — **Law enforcement retirement contributions rise to 11.3 percent; 90 percent line-of-duty death benefit** — SF 47 (2024), Laws 2024, ch. 96, amending W.S. 9-3-432(a), (b), and (j)(iv) · Signed March 20, 2024; effective July 1, 2024; contribution steps through July 1, 2026 — The law enforcement retirement plan covers WDOC correctional officers, probation and parole agents, and detention officers (9-3-402(a)(xviii)). Employee and employer contributions each rise from 8.6 percent of salary through June 30, 2024, to 9.5 percent through June 30, 2025, 10.4 percent through June 30, 2026, and 11.3 percent after that. The surviving spouse of an officer “killed in the line of duty on or after January 1, 2024” receives 90 percent of the officer’s salary each month, plus 6 percent per child under 18. The act appropriates $2,025,000 for executive-branch employer increases in 2025 and 2026; that money may not pay the employee share. — **For corrections staff:** Your retirement contribution has been 11.3 percent of pay since July 1, 2026, and the line-of-duty death benefit is 90 percent of salary. — [SF 47 enrolled act](https://wyoleg.gov/2024/Enroll/SF0047.pdf)[SF 47 bill data](https://lsoservice.wyoleg.gov/api/BillInformation/2024/SF0047)
- Jul 1, 2024 — **Employers must give POST complaint-related personnel records within 30 days** — HB 31 (2024), Enrolled Act No. 31, ch. 41, adding W.S. 9-1-704(m), 9-1-708(h), and 9-1-710(o) and amending 16-4-203(d)(iii) · Signed March 7, 2024; effective July 1, 2024 — The part of a personnel file “specifically related to a complaint” and relevant to the hiring qualifications must be given to POST within 30 days of a written request, for peace and detention officers (9-1-704(m)), dispatchers (9-1-708(h)), and WDOC correctional officers (9-1-710(o)). POST may request records only to investigate or decide initial or continuing certification, suspension, revocation, or termination, and may not disclose them except as required by law. If the employer does not comply, POST may petition the district court. The Public Records Act’s personnel-file exception was amended to allow the release. These subsections did not exist before the act; the 2023 version, HB 173, died in the House. — **For corrections staff:** POST can obtain the complaint-related parts of your personnel file when it reviews your certification. — [Enrolled Act No. 31](https://wyoleg.gov/2024/Enroll/HB0031.pdf)[HB 31 bill page](https://wyoleg.gov/Legislation/2024/HB0031)
- Jul 1, 2024 — **WDOC investigation services unit records may be withheld as investigatory records** — SF 35 (2024), Enrolled Act No. 47, ch. 88, amending W.S. 16-4-203(b)(i) · Signed March 15, 2024; effective July 1, 2024 — The Public Records Act lets a custodian deny inspection of investigation records of sheriffs, prosecutors, police, and other law enforcement bodies when disclosure would be contrary to the public interest. The act adds “upon approval by the attorney general the department of corrections investigation services unit” to that list. — **For corrections staff:** Files of WDOC’s investigation services unit may be withheld from public records requests when the attorney general approves and disclosure would be contrary to the public interest. — [Enrolled Act No. 47](https://wyoleg.gov/2024/Enroll/SF0035.pdf)[SF 35 bill data](https://lsoservice.wyoleg.gov/api/BillInformation/2024/SF0035)
- Feb 28, 2023 — **Drone crimes at prisons, and authority for staff to stop drones** — SF 32 (2023), Laws 2023, ch. 131, creating W.S. 6-5-214 and 25-1-105(h) · Signed and effective February 28, 2023 (effective on signature) — Unless the person in charge authorizes it, flying a drone over or onto a penal institution to photograph or record it, or to deliver contraband, is a misdemeanor (up to 1 year and $2,000); using a drone to deliver or attempt to deliver a deadly weapon is a felony (up to 10 years and $10,000). Government, law enforcement, and emergency users must give the facility reasonable notice. “The person in charge of a penal institution or correctional facility may take or authorize the use of reasonable actions to prevent or stop the use of unmanned aircraft systems operating in violation of this section,” consistent with rules WDOC must adopt. — **For corrections staff:** Staff may act against unauthorized drones over the facility, within limits set by WDOC rule. — [SF 32 enrolled act](https://wyoleg.gov/2023/Enroll/SF0032.pdf)[SF 32 bill data](https://lsoservice.wyoleg.gov/api/BillInformation/2023/SF0032)
- Feb 15, 2023 — **Death benefits revised for the law enforcement retirement plan** — SF 18 (2023), Laws 2023, ch. 5, amending W.S. 9-3-432(j) and creating 9-3-432(p) · Signed and effective February 15, 2023 — The plan covers WDOC correctional officers, probation and parole agents, and detention officers (9-3-402(a)(xviii)). The 62.5 percent of salary duty-death benefit already existed; the act makes it the greater of 62.5 percent or 2.5 percent of salary per year of service credit, plus 6 percent per child under 18, capped at 100 percent, and drops the words “at the time of death.” The nonduty death benefit in (j)(ii) is limited to officers who die “before receiving retirement benefits.” For spouses of officers retired under the former 15-5-301 plan, the child add-on becomes 6 percent of salary instead of $60. New subsection (p) sets the salary for death benefits as the greater of highest average salary or final actual monthly salary. — **For corrections staff:** A long-serving officer’s duty-death benefit can now exceed 62.5 percent of salary, based on years of service. — [SF 18 enrolled act](https://wyoleg.gov/2023/Enroll/SF0018.pdf)[SF 18 bill data](https://lsoservice.wyoleg.gov/api/BillInformation/2023/SF0018)

## Enacted, not yet in force, pending, and bills that did not pass

No enacted corrections law awaits its effective date; the 2026 act above took effect July 1, 2026.

These bills were not enacted: HB 173 (2023, personnel files available to POST; not considered in the House Committee of the Whole, enacted in 2024 as HB 31); HB 241 (2023, sexual intrusion or contact by a peace officer with a person in custody; not considered in the House Committee of the Whole); HB 142 (2024, POST funding account from vehicle registration fees; failed introduction 19-42); SF 87 (2026, felony interference with a peace officer, which would have reached detention officers; failed in the House Committee of the Whole 10-48); and HB 170 (2026, escape and assault findings as bars to parole; not considered for introduction). Sources: [HB 173 bill data](https://lsoservice.wyoleg.gov/api/BillInformation/2023/HB0173).

Signing and effective dates are from the Legislative Service Office bill data.

## Checked and unchanged

- W.S. 9-1-710 (correctional officer standards, training deadlines, automatic felony revocation): HB 31 (2024) added only subsection (o). A review of 2023 to 2026 enacted bill lists found no other corrections officer certification law.
- POST rule chapters 4, 7, and 8: the rules compilation linked from the POST website matches the summaries above but carries no effective dates. The Officer Ledger’s check of the Wyoming Administrative Rules system found no 2023 to 2026 filing for these chapters.
- Not counted: HB 133 (2025, sanctuary policies) and SF 8 (2026, absconding) were checked and are not specific to corrections staff, jails, or supervision officers.