Wyoming Medium Correctional Institution

Wyoming Medium Correctional Institution (WMCI) is Wyoming's primary state correctional facility, operated by the Wyoming Department of Corrections and located in Rawlins in Carbon County in the south-central part of the state, along I-80 roughly midway between Cheyenne and Rock Springs. WMCI opened in 2012 as the successor to the historic Wyoming State Penitentiary that had operated in Rawlins since 1901, and today serves as the main close and medium-security facility for adult male inmates in the Wyoming correctional system. Rawlins is a small high-plains city whose history and economy have long been connected to both the railroad and the prison.

Communication at WMCI follows Wyoming DOC provider contracts. JPay handles electronic messaging, photo sharing, and money transfers. Families create a JPay account and add the inmate using their Wyoming DOC number to begin correspondence. GTL manages phone calls and video visitation under the WDOC statewide contract. The two-platform model applies: JPay for messaging and money, GTL for phone and video, with separate accounts and no shared funding between platforms.

Rawlins sits on I-80 in Carbon County, 105 miles west of Cheyenne and about 120 miles east of Rock Springs. For Cheyenne families, the drive west on I-80 takes about an hour and 15 minutes. For Casper families, the drive south on US-287 is about 90 miles — roughly an hour and 20 minutes. Wyoming is a large, sparsely populated state, and the I-80 corridor that runs through Rawlins is the main east-west transportation artery. Families in northern Wyoming — Gillette, Sheridan, or Jackson — face longer drives and typically rely more on JPay and GTL video visits for regular contact.