States are fighting the transmission of COVID-19 in their correctional facilities, and men and women incarcerated in Wyoming prisons are part of the effort.
As part of the state’s Correctional Industries Program, residents of multiple Wyoming facilities are producing cloth utility masks to help protect themselves, supervising corrections officers, and other government workers.
Beyond supplying for the immediate public health need, the program gives participants the opportunity to develop new skills and work habits that could improve their employment outcomes, a critical part of successful reentry for people returning to their communities from prison.
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon recently visited the garment shops at the Wyoming Medium Correctional Institution in Torrington and Wyoming Women’s Center in Lusk, where program participants manufacture and sew a variety of products.
Watch the video of his visit, arranged as part of The Council of State Governments Justice Center’s Face to Face initiative and produced with support from Arnold Ventures.
Face to Face, a project led by The CSG Justice Center, creates meaningful interactions between policymakers and people who have firsthand experience with the criminal justice system.