Agreement allows Laramie County jail to house federal inmates
CHEYENNE — The Laramie County jail can now house federal inmates per a recently approved contract with the U.S. Marshal Service.
The contract was approved in February, but the jail only accepted its first federal inmate last week.
The intergovernmental agreement allows the U.S. Marshals Service to rent six cells for federal inmates at a rate of $120 a day for adults and $190 a day for juveniles. Those funds, as of now, go to Laramie County.
The IGA would also allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement to attach a supplemental IGA to the agreement. If approved by county commissioners, that supplemental IGA would allow the jail to house undocumented immigrants charged with federal crimes.
ICE is currently preparing a draft proposal that will allow it to pay the jail to hold detainees for longer than 72 hours at a similar rate to the U.S. Marshals IGA, according to Laramie County Sheriff Brian Kozak.
The U.S. Marshals IGA is over two years in the making, sparked by a need from the courts to cut down on long commutes and transportation costs for federal inmates held outside of the county.
The federal agency would be taking advantage of space that has been budgeted for but currently doesn’t hold inmates, as the jail is rarely at capacity.
“We have the room; we have over 200 beds,” Kozak said. “The local taxpayers here added these extra beds and pods, and so we might as well put them to use and try to make some extra revenue for the county, and just make the whole criminal justice system better, more efficient.”
Efficiency, costs
While the actual net profit of the contract has yet to be seen, one clear benefit of the agreement is increased efficiency for the court system.
Prior to this agreement, the U.S. Marshals’ federal inmates appearing in Cheyenne for court proceedings have primarily been housed in Wheatland, Scottsbluff, Nebraska, or other facilities, a substantial commute from the local courts.
This meant that defense attorneys had to travel to consult with their clients and federal inmates had to travel, sometimes through inclement or even dangerous weather, to attend court proceedings.
U.S. District Judge Kelly Rankin wrote a thank-you letter to Kozak in January, expressing how grateful he and the courts were that the U.S. Marshals’ contract was being pursued.
“For decades, we have had the unfortunate situation in which federal inmates appearing for court proceedings in Cheyenne have been housed outside of Laramie County at enormous inconvenience and cost to the taxpayer,” Rankin wrote. “Our hope is that through the collective efforts of everyone involved, this will soon change.”
The cost of travel alone for these inmates to receive the legal counsel to which they are entitled has been a major burden on taxpayers, Rankin wrote.
The Federal Public Defender and Criminal Justice Act lawyers who represent federal defendants are paid with federal tax dollars at a rate of $175 an hour, including travel time.
By Rankin’s estimate, the approximate cost is $675 per trip to Scottsbluff. Still using Scottsbluff as an example, it costs more than $2,000 in lawyer fees for a routine case without a trial.
“As you can see, these costs add up quickly,” Rankin wrote. “Not to mention the inefficient use of the attorney’s time.”
Beyond financial costs, delays in the court system due to dangerous travel conditions are typical of the region.
“They have had to cancel jury trials, and they put great expense into calling up jurors to come in for trial,” Kozak said. “Then, because of weather issues, they couldn’t bring the inmate from Scottsbluff.”
With this IGA in place, inmates can be transferred to the jail before their trial date, limiting delays in the criminal justice process, Kozak said.
Profits, staffing
While the contract should produce a profit for the county, the jail currently has no say over those funds.
Kozak has proposed using the revenue to offer a hiring bonus, which currently becomes unavailable to new hires once the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office reaches 85% staffing.
The LCSO is currently at 84% staffing in the jail, with 17 new employees in the background check process who applied under the assumption that they would have access to the bonus, according to Kozak.
Kozak has used the $8,000 bonus to recruit deputies from other states, who often use the bonus to pay for moving costs, deposits on housing and first month’s rent.
“My request is to use the (U.S. Marshals) revenue to fund the hiring incentives,” Kozak said. “Being well-staffed allows us to bring in extra revenue. If our staffing falls, then we will have to stop the intake of federal inmates.”
The contract requires more work from current employees, and because of that, Kozak reasoned that the revenue should go toward programs to ensure proper staffing and training.
“If the Commissioners do not approve it, I may use the right to refuse clause in the contract,” Kozak wrote in email correspondence with the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.
The contract includes a right-to-refuse clause that allows the jail to reject housing inmates that may take too many resources or are determined to be a danger to the general population or staff. The clause was essential for the LCSO to agree to the contract. According to Kozak, this way, if the jail is unable to house a federal inmate due to lack of resources, the jail can request inmates be transferred.
While similar deals have been discussed under prior sheriffs, the jail hasn’t met the qualifications or had the staffing to contract with the U.S. Marshals.
After passing the U.S. Marshals inspection last year, the IGA became a real option for the courts, Kozak said. The jail will undergo another inspection later this month, with annual follow-ups.
“We just spent two years and implemented over 150 new policies for jail operations based on standards from the National Institute for Jail Operations,” Kozak wrote. “We can now pass the required jail inspections, which (The U.S. Marshals) require.”
The agreement can be terminated by either party at any time for any reason.
This story was published on May 9, 2025.