Lockdown at Wyoming State Penitentiary to make repairs


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RAWLINS, Wyo. (AP) — Structural problems caused by shifting soil at the Wyoming State Penitentiary led to an inmate lockdown while workers repaired several doors.

Prison staff put most of the inmates in a modified lockdown from Dec. 1-Dec. 3. The 525 inmates were restricted to their cells except to meet visitors and go to medical appointments, the Casper Star-Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/2hno2WZ).

The shifting soil is causing prison walls to separate, floors to buckle and cracks up to 1.5 inches wide to form. State lawmakers have been weighing whether to spend millions to repair the 15-year-old facility or possibly replace the prison altogether.

The problems are only getting worse and need to be addressed, Gov. Matt Mead said.

Mead's budget recommendations include authorizing $83.5 million in bonds to repair the prison. Even so, the governor said he's not convinced repairs are the best option.

"How do we explain 10 years from now that it's failed again?" he said.

The state built the prison in 2001 for $90 million. The prison replaced one the U.S. Department of Justice ordered the state to abandon because of similar structural issues on a site a quarter-mile away.

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Information from: Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune, http://www.trib.com

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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