She said the mo ve will occur within the next 45 days. Uphoff said the decision to change locations was logical because a closer proximity to the inmates means the Wyoming Department of Corrections will have more oversight of inmate programming. She said having greater control over the inmates was the primary reason for the decision but did mention that the state will save some money with the location change.
More savings come from the reduced cost of inmate rotation.
Uphoff said the option of moving inmates to Colorado was not available when the original transfer of 100 inmates occurred in 1997. At that time the department made the decision to transfer inmates to the T. Don Hutto facility in Texas after overcrowding at the penitentiary had become a deterrent to managing a safe and secure facility. This is a good decision, Geringer said. It is another indication that Director Uphoff and the Wyoming Department of Corrections is constantly working to improve the operations within the department. We are dealing with increasingly violent prison population and as much as some vocal opponents wants the Department to adopt early release programs, we will not put our citizens at risk.