Committee hears testimony against closing aging prison

By Cy Ryan

Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011 | 1:33 p.m.

CARSON CITY – Veteran correctional officers and a union official told a legislative budget subcommittee Tuesday that the staff in the prison system is getting hit extra hard in the proposed cutbacks in Gov. Brian Sandoval’s budget.

Dan Shoup, a senior correctional officer at the aging Nevada State Prison in Carson City, worked a full overnight shift and came to testify on Tuesday. “There are so many cuts and it affects the morale of the staff," he said.

Kevin Ranft, a representative of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, testified that Nevada has the lowest ratio of correctional officers to inmates in the nation.

As with other state employees, the governor is recommending a 5 percent pay reduction, but in addition, the 5 percent shift differential and a 5 percent increase to work at rural prisons would both being eliminated.

Senior correctional officers are being downgraded to correctional officer, Ranft said. “There are cuts after cuts after cuts on the backs of state employees,” he said.

Shoup, a 14-year officer at the Nevada State Prison, told the committee, “I’m not a cop hero,” but officers deal with inmates who have mental problems, anger issues and are criminals. “We do a job nobody wants,” he said.

Greg Cox, director of the state Department of Corrections, outlined a budget that calls for an overall reduction of $36.3 million and eliminating 114 positions. He expects only minimal growth in the number of inmates. There are slightly more than 13,000 inmates in Nevada prisons.

“There has been no substantial increase in crime,” he said.

A big part of the savings would be shutting down the Nevada State Prison. Cox said he can transfer inmates to more modern prisons where the surveillance is better the prisons are cheaper to operate.

Cox presented figures to show the cost per inmate at the Nevada State Prison was $23,615 last fiscal year compared to High Desert State Prison in Southern Nevada at $14,061.

There are 209 staff members at Nevada State Prison and 97 would be reassigned. Many of the officers would be reassigned to High Desert.

But Curtis Thomas, a 14-year correctional officer at the Carson City prison, told the committee the savings were “greatly overstated.” He accused the administration of pushing for a quick closure and “This would be an economic benefit for Southern Nevada at the expense Carson City.”

Thomas questioned what would happen to the state prison. There have been suggestions of turning it into a museum, but the existing state museums are also fighting to stay alive.

“It will be left to rot and become an eye soar,” Thomas said.

The subcommittee intends to hold further hearings on the budgets of the prisons.