CHEYENNE — Following a meeting between the Joint Appropriations Committee and the Wyoming Department of Corrections on Thursday, Gov. Mark Gordon issued a statement calling for immediate funding for the department to address staffing shortages.

DOC Director Dan Shannon presented details of the department’s 2027-28 biennium budget request and staffing concerns, which have forced the state to house inmates outside Wyoming, leading to millions in emergency expenses. Shannon said the vacancies are the “number one contributor” to reassigning inmates and affecting the entire DOC budget.

In Gordon’s proposed budget, the governor noted that DOC is feeling the pressures of inflation and needs immediate attention. He specifically stated that chronic staffing shortages prevent the return of all inm

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