FY 2022 Wyoming SJS Program

The Wyoming SAC (WYSAC) will use FY22 SJS funds for both a core capacity-building project and a special emphasis project. For the core capacity project, WYSAC will build on its FY21 SJS project by collecting and analyzing data on Wyoming’s juvenile diversions programs (program participants, program services, and program effectiveness, including recidivism) to assess their use of best practices and their program’s effectiveness in reducing juvenile recidivism. WYSAC will report the data on county-specific fact sheets and conduct zoom calls with each program to discuss how well each program aligns with best practices, the data contained in the fact sheets, and WYSAC’s recommendations for program improvement. Wyoming DFS will provide technical assistance and resources so programs can implement best practices successfully.  This project will create access to previously unavailable juvenile jail roster data, via Reroute, and enhance WYSAC’s capabilities to evaluate the state’s juvenile diversion programs, both individually and collectively.  DFS’s requirement that all juvenile diversion programs enter data in Reroute will ensure Reroute’s continued use and WYSAC’s access to its data. WYSAC will also report statewide findings and recommendations across all assessed programs.

For the Special Emphasis project, WYSAC and DCI, the state’s SAA, will examine the factors that influence Wyoming law enforcement officers’ and prosecuting attorneys’ choices to arrest and prosecute offenders who are not compliant with the Wyoming Sex Offender Registration Act. WYSAC will partner with WASCOP and the Wyoming County Attorneys Association on this study. WYSAC will conduct semi-structured interviews with sheriffs, chiefs of police, and prosecuting attorneys and combine data from WySORS (which contains data on all registered sex offenders residing in Wyoming) with state criminal history records to analyze how enforcement of the Sex Offender Registration Act relates to repeated noncompliance with registration requirements, general recidivism (any new criminal conviction), and sexual recidivism (any new conviction for a sexual offense). WYSAC will conduct three logistic regression analyses to investigate whether arrest rate and prosecution rate, predict 1) failure to register, 2) general recidivism, and 3) sexual recidivism.