Thursday, April 16, 2015 | 4:10 p.m.
CARSON CITY — Legislators want tougher discipline when the Summit Youth Correctional Center for juvenile offenders reopens in Clark County.
“This facility has a bad reputation,” Assemblyman James Oscarson, R-Pahrump, said, noting the facility has been opened and closed several times. “We can’t afford another failure.”
Oscarson is chairman of a joint budget committee reviewing a proposed $2.1 million budget to operate the facility for two years.
Amber Howell, head of the state Division of Child and Family Services, said the reopening is planned for September.
Recruiting of staff for the 48-bed facility begins in July.
Assemblywoman Maggie Carlton, D-Las Vegas, suggested hiring correctional officers to oversee the youth. “This is not a summer camp. It’s a prison,” she said.
The state previously contracted with Rite of Passage to operate the facility but eventually cancelled the contract and closed the center.
The $15 million center was opened in 2001 and has been operated by two different private contractors and the state.
The Legislative Interim Finance Committee authorized the state to spend $671,000 for repairs and equipment to open the facility again.
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy