Wyoming’s recidivism rate one of the best in the nation

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By Wyoming Department of Corrections

Published: 04/14/2011

Cheyenne – Wyoming continues to be one of the states with the lowest recidivism in the nation, according to a Pew Center on the State report released today.

Recidivism is defined as the proportion of persons released from prison who are rearrested, reconvicted or returned to custody within three years of release. Offenders may either be returned to prison for committing a new crime or for violating the terms of their supervision from a previous conviction.

Wyoming’s rate of recidivism for offenders who were released in 2004 and rearrested, reconvicted or returned by 2007 was 24.8 percent. The national rate for the same time period was 43.3 percent. Only Oregon had a lower rate than Wyoming at 22.8 percent.

“Our low rate of return is a reflection of the good work being done by employees and offenders alike. We are focused on continuing to improve success-oriented programs and initiatives that have positive impacts on recidivism,” Wyoming Department of Corrections Director Bob Lampert said. “Reducing the number of offenders who return to prison has positive impacts on public safety as well as families. It may also help reduce the percentage of state funding spent on incarceration, permitting those funds to be used for other critical issues.”

“We will continue to study and employ innovative and research-based solutions that help offenders reenter our communities to become successful and contributive members of our society,” he said. “One of the key aspects of Wyoming’s process is offenders are given opportunities to be personally invested and responsible for reducing the level of risk they present and in the planning and success of their own transition to the community.”

Approximately 14 percent of Wyoming offenders were returned to prison within three years of release for technical violations of the terms of parole supervision. Only 11 percent returned as the result of a conviction for a new felony.

The Pew report, State of Recidivism: The Revolving Door of America’s Prisons, looks at rates across a majority of states for the time period of 1999-2002 and 2004-2007. Wyoming’s records were insufficient to provide the necessary data for the earlier 1999-2002 time period.

Thirty three states submitted data for 1999-2002 calculations and 41 states (including Wyoming) submitted data for the 2004-2007 calculations used in the Pew report on recidivism.

Recidivism rates are often used as the measuring stick of the success of investments and programs in a state correctional system. The rate is impacted by a variety of strategies instituted by a state correctional system.

Many of these strategies are anchored in research and proven over time to affect recidivism rates. They include sophisticated risk assessments, meticulous reentry planning, and post-release supervision carefully tailored to each offender’s circumstance.

In Wyoming, those strategies include:

One hundred percent of offenders begin receiving services for reentry and transition to a community from the start of their sentencing;
Integrated case management with individualized case plans and programming;
Reentry resource centers that are in each of Wyoming’s correctional facilities;
Community reentry checklist that is the responsibility of each offender to complete;
A continuing care component to the reentry process that looks at various indicators to insure special services such as mental health or other counseling received at a facility continue for an offender.
Processes are in place to assist offenders in acquiring any needed identification such as a state ID, driver’s license or birth certificate;
Enhanced case management services for medium- and high-risk offenders;
A universal risk and needs assessment that is a national standard for reentry best practices;
A sanctioning matrix called Prism employed by field services agents during the supervision phase of an offenders reentry;
Skill development and training in employable fields through the industry and education programs in each correctional facility.

In addition, the Wyoming Department of Corrections continues to develop new processes and best-practices through collaboration and partnership with other states, national organizations and other state agencies. Initiatives such as Transition from Prison to Community or TPC provides a strong network of expertise and experienced correctional professionals sharing and brainstorming new ways to focus on helping offenders successfully reenter communities at the conclusion of their sentences.

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