Nevada Faces Parole Crunch
After legislative changes last year, more than 12% of Nevada’s inmate population will receive parole reviews next month. The 1,602 reviews will be about two and one half times the usual monthly list.
The governor and Legislature agreed in the 2007 session to increase good time credits and make other changes that would reduce prison overcrowding. Without changes, the estimates were it would cost Nevada $1.95 billion to construct the necessary new prisons to house the burgeoning inmate population … AB510 doubled the amount of good time credits inmates can earn for good conduct, substance abuse and behavior courses and educational classes, making the doubled credits retroactive in many cases.
Another change allows inmates to be present at every hearing.
To meet that requirement, Dave Smith of the Parole Board said video-conferencing equipment has to be installed in all Nevada’s prisons and camps. There is equipment at Nevada State Prison in Carson City, Lovelock, Ely, High Desert in southern Nevada, the North Las Vegas women’s prison and Casa Grande transitional center. But Smith said it will take several more months to install the video equipment in all the camps where most of the inmates eligible for release are housed.
Read the full story in the Nevada Appeal.