Gov. Gibbons Announces Plan To Phase Out And Close Nevada State Prison In Capital
Submitted by on Thu, 06/17/2010 - 3:35pm
CARSON CITY – Gov. Jim Gibbons today approved a plan to phase out operations at the Nevada State Prison in the capital. The decision by the lame duck governor comes even though the Legislature has rejected past attempts to close the facility.
“It costs taxpayers an extra $4,000 to $6,000 per inmate for prisoners at NSP because the facility is so old and poorly designed,� Gibbons said. “Additionally, NSP is not as safe for prison staff as other facilities.�
Right now, more than 650 inmates are being held at NSP.
Dan Burns, communications director for Gibbons, said the governor and his Corrections Department director have the authority to close the facility, which should be completed over the next six to eight months.
Transfers of inmates have already begun, he said. The plan is to close the prison in phases to ensure the 208 state positions, mostly correctional officers, can be accommodated at other facilities, whether it be at Lovelock or at other facilities in the capital, Burns said.
“When it’s all said and done, it will be empty,” he said.
Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie, D-Reno, said legislative legal staff is reviewing whether Gibbons has the legal authority to close the facility. The other question is whether the closure makes fiscal sense, she said.
The plan presented to the Legislature at the February special session, which was rejected, did not make financial sense, Leslie said.
“It was not well thought out,� she said.
Howard Skolnik, director of the Department of Corrections, developed the phase-out plan which will begin July 1.
The Nevada Spending and Government Efficiency (SAGE) Commission recommended closing the prison more than two years ago. The Nevada Legislature, which the Gibbons administration says has been heavily influenced by labor unions, has refused to allow the prison to be closed.
“We need to stop bowing to labor unions and do what is best for the taxpayers of Nevada,â€� Gibbons said. “Parts of the NSP are more than 100 years old. The inefficiencies are a waste of taxpayers’ money and the safety issues put staff, inmates and the Carson City community at risk.â€�
Portions of the prison facility, built more recently, will remain open, including buildings housing a print shop, license plate fabrication and the execution chamber.
The move by Gibbons comes just days after he lost in the GOP primary to challenger Brian Sandoval. Gibbons will leave office in early January after one term.
Audio clips:
Gibbons spokesman Dan Burns on authority to close prison
061710Burns1 :21 of the Legislature.”
Burns on Legislature’s failure to act
061710Burns2 :10 afford it anymore”
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