Wednesday, February 25, 2026 |
Photo – Carbon County Jail and Communications Center – Bigfoot99 file photo
The Wyoming House Appropriations Committee advanced a Senate bill to reimburse county jails for housing criminal mental‑health inmates.
Senate File 10, dealing with contracts for holding and treating mentally ill detainees, passed out of the Senate on its thirds and final reading earlier this month. The bill was then referred to the House Appropriations Committee, which met on Monday to discuss the measure.
Speaking to the Appropriations Committee, Natrona County Representative Art Washut said Senate File 10 was introduced after he was contacted by an unnamed sheriff who raised concerns that he was housing criminal inmates awaiting transfer to the Wyoming State Hospital in Evanston.
If passed, Senate File 10 will give the state Department of Health the authority to contract with county jails for the “security, examination, or treatment of accused persons,” while they wait to be transferred to Evanston.
Representative Washut said courts across Wyoming are sending more criminal defendants to the state hospital. However, a shortage of beds and staff means those defendants remain in county jails for extended periods of time, putting additional pressure on counties and the inmates.
Representative Washut said the Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police, or WASCOP, met with the Department of Health to brainstorm a solution. After those discussions, the Natrona County Republican said the organizations chose to model their response after an existing Department of Corrections program that reimburses counties for time inmates spend waiting to be transferred to the state penitentiary.
Sheridan County Representative Ken Pendergraft asked if the same mental‑health services could be extended to juvenile offenders. Wyoming Department of Health Director Stefan Johansson said Senate File 10 applies only to Title Seven defendants, individuals who have been charged with a crime, but found incompetent to stand trial.
Department of Health Director Johansson clarified that Senate File 10 will not only reimburse counties for the time inmates spend waiting to be transferred to the state hospital but also provide mental health services in the jails.
Several counties, including Carbon County, have agreements with the Department of Health to provide services to individuals held under the state’s Title 25 program, which allows emergency detention for those who may not have committed a crime, but are considered a danger to themselves or others. The Carbon County Sheriff’s Office and Saratoga Police Department both partnered with Avel eCare, a Sioux Falls-based virtual healthcare company, to offer mental health support during police encounters using a tablet or cell phone.
During Monday’s House Appropriations Committee meeting, Department of Health Director Johansson said similar pilot programs for Title Seven detainees have proven successful.
Johansson explained that state statutes require the Department of Health to reimburse county jails and hospitals for individuals going through the Title 25 process. He added that, frustratingly, the department does not have the legal authority to offer similar compensation for those under Title Seven holds.
Johansson said the Department of Health has allocated over $6 million to serve Title 25 detainees but was unable to provide spending figures for the Title Seven pilot programs.
Following those comments, House Appropriations Committee Chairman John Bear opened the floor to public discussion. Natrona County Commissioner Dave North complimented Senate File 10, saying his county lacks the money to house mental‑health detainees while they wait for a bed to open at the state hospital.
Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police Executive Director Allen Thompson also expressed his support for the bill.
The House Appropriations Committee unanimously voted to move the bill forward for consideration by the full House of Representatives, with an amendment to allocate $5 million to the program if the upcoming state budget does not already include funding. The measure will need to be passed by the House three times before reaching Governor Mark Gordon’s desk.
