If someone you love is locked up in Wyoming, you are dealing with a system that is both very small and very spread out. Wyoming has just five adult correctional facilities and fewer incarcerated people than almost any other state in the country, but it is also one of the largest states by land area. Those five prisons are scattered from the far northeast to the far southeast to central Wyoming, and for many families the drive to visit can be hundreds of miles over open road with few services in between. Distance is the defining challenge for Wyoming families, and it shapes almost everything about staying connected.
The Wyoming Department of Corrections (WDOC) holds around two thousand people, and most of them will come home. I have been on the inside, and I know the family on the outside carries a load nobody talks about. This guide is written for you.
What the WDOC System Looks Like
WDOC operates five adult facilities spread across Wyoming:
Wyoming Medium Correctional Institution (WMCI), Torrington. This is the main intake and assessment center for men who are not sentenced to death. If your loved one was recently sentenced, he likely starts here before being classified and transferred.
Wyoming State Penitentiary (WSP), Rawlins. The maximum-security men's prison, in the center-south of the state.
Wyoming Women's Center (WWC), Lusk. The only facility for women in Wyoming, in the far eastern part of the state.
Wyoming Honor Farm (WHF), Riverton. A lower-security men's facility in central-western Wyoming.
Wyoming Honor Conservation Camp and Boot Camp (HCCC), Newcastle. A combined lower-security facility in the far northeast.
To find your loved one, use the offender lookup tool on corrections.wyo.gov. You will get their offender ID number, which you need for mail, money, calls, and visits. WDOC headquarters is at 1934 Wyott Drive, Suite 100, Cheyenne, WY 82002, (307) 777-7208.
Staying Connected: Phone Calls
WDOC uses ICSolutions (ICS) for phone service. Your loved one calls out to numbers on their approved list; there are no incoming calls. All calls are recorded and monitored except properly arranged legal calls, and three-way calling or call forwarding can disconnect the call. To set up an account, register through ICSolutions.
If you have service problems or questions, ICSolutions customer service is available through the icsolutions.com website. In a true emergency, since your loved one cannot receive a call, contact the institution directly and ask staff to relay a message.
Staying Connected: Video Visits
WDOC offers The Visitor video visitation system through ICSolutions. Both onsite and offsite visits are available. For offsite visits from home, which is genuinely important given Wyoming's distances, you must:
Register with ICSolutions at icsolutions.com (registration is free).
Download and test the ICS visitation application on your Windows computer, Android device, or iOS device before you try to schedule a visit.
Schedule a visit following the facility's specific schedule and rules, which are listed on WDOC's visitation page.
Because Wyoming is so vast, video visits are often the most practical way for families to see their loved one without a day-long round trip.
Staying Connected: Mail
You can write to your loved one at any time, addressed with their full committed name and offender ID number to the facility where they are housed. Wyoming requires plain white paper with blue or black ink. Some items are prohibited: no Polaroids (regular photo paper is OK), no staples or paper clips, no stickers, glitter, glue, or tape, no blank or musical greeting cards, no hardcover books, no magazines with staples, and no items containing metal or electronics. Check the current mail rules on corrections.wyo.gov or directly with the facility before you send anything, since policies can change and vary by facility. Legal mail follows separate rules.
Sending Money
Money you send goes into your loved one's account for commissary and other needs. WDOC supports multiple deposit methods, including online through JPay or Access Corrections, by money order mailed to the facility, at kiosks in the facility lobby, or by phone with a credit or debit card. Confirm the current approved options and any fees on corrections.wyo.gov, and include your loved one's full name and offender ID on any money order.
Staying Connected: Visiting in Person
To visit, you must submit a visitor application (WDOC Form 531), which requires a background check and processing time, so apply well in advance of your first planned visit. Visiting schedules and specific rules vary by facility, so check the schedule on corrections.wyo.gov for the institution where your loved one is housed and confirm before you travel. Given the distances involved, calling ahead is not optional; a long drive to a canceled visit is a real hardship in Wyoming.
Your Rights and Your Loved One's Rights
Most rights inside belong to the incarcerated person, not to family members, but knowing them helps you advocate.
Your loved one has the right to reasonable contact with the outside world through mail, phone, and visits, subject to the rules above and to discipline. They have the right to medical and mental health care, to reasonable accommodations for disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act, to practice their religion, and to be free from abuse. They have the right to use the grievance system, the formal way to raise problems, and generally must complete it before a court will hear most claims.
When Something Goes Wrong: How to Advocate
Push the grievance process first. Encourage your loved one to file and appeal through the formal grievance system, document everything, keep copies, and mail a copy to you as backup.
Contact the Wyoming Protection and Advocacy System (WYPANDA). WYPANDA (wypanda.com) is Wyoming's federally mandated protection and advocacy organization for people with disabilities, including mental illness, traumatic brain injury, and other conditions. It was founded in 1977, employs attorneys and professional staff, and has federal authority to access facilities and records and to investigate allegations of abuse and neglect. If your loved one has a disability or mental illness and is being denied care or mistreated, WYPANDA is the most powerful outside resource available to you. They have offices in Cheyenne and Casper.
Contact the ACLU of Wyoming. The ACLU of Wyoming works on civil rights and prisoners' rights, focusing on systemic issues rather than individual cases.
Use national organizations. The Human Rights Defense Center and Prison Legal News (humanrightsdefensecenter.org) cover prisoner rights and prison communication costs. Families Against Mandatory Minimums (famm.org) works on sentencing. Worth Rises (worthrises.org) tracks the prison telecom industry.
Contact elected officials. Wyoming is small, and a letter to your state representative or senator about a systemic problem gets read. The state's small size also means individual legislators often know local constituents with incarcerated family members personally.
Taking Care of Yourself
Get your visitor application in early so you are approved before you plan a trip. Set up your ICSolutions account for calls and download The Visitor app for video visits, which will save you many long drives. Learn the mail rules so your letters are not rejected after traveling through Wyoming's mail system. And lean on WYPANDA if your loved one has a disability or mental illness and something is going wrong; they have the legal tools to go into facilities and investigate.
Wyoming is the quietest prison system in this series, a small state with a small system, but the distance and the isolation are real. Staying connected requires more effort here, and families who do it deserve credit for the dedication it takes. Most of all, take care of your own health, because doing time on the outside is its own kind of sentence, and staying steady for yourself is part of staying steady for your person.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find out where my loved one is incarcerated in Wyoming?
Use the offender lookup tool on corrections.wyo.gov, searching by name to find their facility and offender ID number. Wyoming has only five adult facilities. Men who are newly sentenced usually start at the Wyoming Medium Correctional Institution in Torrington, the main intake center, before being transferred based on their classification.
What are Wyoming's five adult correctional facilities?
Wyoming State Penitentiary (Rawlins, max security men), Wyoming Medium Correctional Institution (Torrington, intake and medium security men), Wyoming Women's Center (Lusk, all women), Wyoming Honor Farm (Riverton, lower security men), and the Wyoming Honor Conservation Camp and Boot Camp (Newcastle, lower security men).
How do I set up phone calls in Wyoming prisons?
WDOC uses ICSolutions. Your loved one calls out to numbers on their approved list; you cannot call in. Register and set up an account through ICSolutions to fund and receive calls. Calls are recorded except for legal calls, and three-way calling or call forwarding can cut the call off.
How do video visits work in Wyoming?
WDOC offers The Visitor video visitation through ICSolutions, with both onsite and offsite options. For offsite visits from home, register free at icsolutions.com, download and test the ICS visitation app before scheduling, and follow the facility's specific schedule. For Wyoming's vast distances, offsite video visits are often the most practical option.
Where do I send mail to a Wyoming inmate?
Send mail to your loved one's full name and offender ID number at their facility. Use plain white paper with blue or black ink, and avoid Polaroids, staples, paper clips, stickers, glitter, glue, tape, musical or blank greeting cards, hardcover books, magazines with staples, or metal items. Always check the current rules on corrections.wyo.gov or with the facility before sending, since rules can vary and change.
How do I send money to an inmate in Wyoming?
You can deposit funds online through JPay or Access Corrections, by money order mailed to the facility with your loved one's full name and offender ID, at kiosks in the facility lobby, or by phone. Confirm current options and fees on corrections.wyo.gov.
How do I apply to visit in person?
Submit a visitor application (WDOC Form 531), available through corrections.wyo.gov, which requires a background check and takes time to process. Apply well in advance of your first visit. Visiting schedules and rules vary by facility, so check and confirm before you travel, especially given Wyoming's long distances.
My loved one has a disability or mental illness and is not getting care. Who can help?
Contact the Wyoming Protection and Advocacy System at wypanda.com. Founded in 1977, it is the state's federally mandated protection and advocacy organization, with authority to access facilities and records and to investigate abuse and neglect. It has offices in Cheyenne and Casper and employs attorneys who handle disability rights and civil rights in correctional settings. --- INTERNAL LINKS TO PLACE: 1. Wyoming inmate search ("What the WDOC System Looks Like" - offender lookup) 2. Send money to a Wyoming inmate ("Sending Money") 3. Wyoming reentry resources ("Taking Care of Yourself" / WDOC reentry programs) 4. Staying Connected hub ("Staying Connected: Phone Calls") 5. How Prison Works hub ("What the WDOC System Looks Like") --- SPEC NOTE / SOURCING (strip before publish): - Voice: formerly incarcerated narrator addressing family member. No em dashes. No smart quotes. No double hyphens. Plain text. - Meta title char count: 50 (under 60). Meta description char count: 152 (in 150-160 range). All 8 FAQ headings under 60 char, verified. - Defining hook: smallest system in the 50-state series (5 adult facilities, ~2,300 incarcerated, fewest of any state) in one of the LARGEST states by land area -- DISTANCE is the defining family challenge + WMCI Torrington as men's intake center + Wyoming Women's Center Lusk as the ONLY women's facility in a geographically vast state + ICSolutions phone + The Visitor offsite video (foregrounded as the distance solution) + WYPANDA (strong P&A with federal facility-access authority, offices Cheyenne + Casper). - SOURCES: corrections.wyo.gov (WDOC; HQ Suite 100, 1934 Wyott Drive, Cheyenne WY 82002; (307) 777-7208; fax (307) 777-7479; website corrections.wy.gov / corrections.wyo.gov [both used historically; verify canonical]; offender lookup tool; victim services -- excluded as family resource); en.wikipedia Wyoming DOC (formed 1991; 5 adult facilities: WSP Rawlins, WWC Lusk capacity 261, WHF Riverton capacity 283, HCCC Newcastle combined 261, WMCI Torrington intake center for men not sentenced to death opened Jan 6 2010); thevisitor.icsenforcer.com WYDOC (ICSolutions "The Visitor" video visitation; onsite + offsite; all visitors register free at icsolutions.com; download+test app before scheduling; iOS/Windows/Android; visit WDOC visitation page for schedule/rules; no advance cost); penmateapp.com WSP (WSP Rawlins; max security; visits 30-60 min scheduled in advance; prohibited items: cash/personal checks/stamps/stickers/glitter/glue/tape/staples/paperclips/Polaroids/musical or blank greeting cards/hardcover books/magazines with staples/metal or electronics; plain white paper blue or black ink; photos on regular photo paper no Polaroids; money: JPay/Access Corrections online, money orders to facility with name+ID, kiosks in lobby, phone with credit/debit card); pdfFiller WDOC Form 531 (visitor application Form 531; background check; processing time; apply in advance; contact facility for status; WDOC Form 531 official WY corrections website); wypanda.com (Wyoming Protection & Advocacy System Inc.; founded 1977 nonprofit authorized by Congress; federal authority to access facilities/records/persons, investigate abuse/neglect; employs attorneys + professional staff; 9 federal programs PADD/PAIMI/PAIR/PATBI/PAVA/PABRP/etc; civil rights + discrimination; systemic change; fill gaps for children + adults with disabilities; offices Cheyenne + Casper per PO Box 446 + Casper reference); uwyo.edu/wind (Wyoming P&A = Wyoming Protection & Advocacy System Inc; serves Wyomingites w/ developmental disabilities, TBI, veterans with disabilities, and others; founded 1977; legal rights protection; systemic change; part of Wyoming DD Network with WIND + Governor's Council); law.umich.edu WDOC Mail Policy 5.401 (Jan 15 2013; WDOC HQ 1934 Wyott Drive Cheyenne 82002; (307) 777-7208; Director signature Robert O. Lampert); prisonpolicy.org WY; aclu.org WY (ACLU of Wyoming). - VERIFY FLAGS for Poorwa: (1) Confirm WDOC population (~2,300) and 5-facility count current -- I said "around two thousand" only (soft). (2) Confirm website canonical: corrections.wyo.gov vs corrections.wy.gov (both appear in sources; I used corrections.wyo.gov per the more recent sources). (3) Confirm ICSolutions still phone vendor + The Visitor still video system. (4) Confirm WMCI Torrington is still intake center for men. (5) MAIL: I listed prohibited items from WSP penmateapp source (2025) -- these are fairly standard WDOC rules but VERIFY against current facility policies before publish; I said "check current rules on corrections.wyo.gov or with the facility" to hedge. (6) MONEY: JPay + Access Corrections + money orders + kiosks + phone per WSP penmateapp source -- VERIFY current options; some states have consolidated vendors. (7) Confirm WDOC Form 531 is the current visitor application form. (8) WYPANDA wypanda.com + PO Box 446 + offices Cheyenne + Casper -- HIGH CONFIDENCE from wypanda.com directly; verify current contact info before publish. (9) Confirm ACLU of Wyoming current (aclu-wy.org or acluwy.org -- verify canonical). (10) Confirm WSP Rawlins still max security; WWC Lusk still women's only facility; WHF Riverton + HCCC Newcastle current. WDOC Director NOT named (Robert Lampert led for decades but verify current director; omitted from body per staleness convention). Death row / execution capability at WSP mentioned historically but NOT surfaced in body (not needed). No formal family council or statewide family-advocacy group found specific to Wyoming -- I routed advocacy through WYPANDA, ACLU, and WDOC's own channels (accurate). No volatile per-minute phone rates hardcoded. Victim Services excluded per convention. No crisis-line specifics added. Wyoming is the 50th and FINAL state in the series.
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