The Supreme Court subsequently contemplated whether such an uncounseled conviction could be used to impose a prison sentence for a later conviction. The Supreme Court, however, pointed out that states are free to provide their citizens greater protection than that given by the federal government. In deciding what Wyoming's approach to these issues should be, this Court must interpret the language of the relevant Wyoming statutes. We endeavor to interpret statutes in accordance with the legislature's intent. We construe the statute as a whole, giving effect to every word, clause, and sentence, and we construe together all parts of the statute in pari materia .
Courts determine as a matter of law whether a statute is clear or ambiguous.
When we determine that the statute is clear and unambiguous, we give effect to the plain language of the statute. Id. Under Wyo. The task presented to this Court, therefore, is to determine what the legislature intended when it used the term within this particular statute. The Wyoming legislature apparently intended to afford Wyoming citizens greater protection in this area than that afforded by the United States Supreme Court. We, therefore, decline to follow the United States Supreme Court's actual incarceration approach.