Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Nevada prisons director leaving after 3 years on the job

Jim Dzurenda, the director of the Nevada Department of Corrections, has announced plans to resign after just more than three years on the job.

His last day will be announced soon, Gov. Steve Sisolak’s office said.

Dzurenda was appointed to the post by former Gov. Brian Sandoval in April 2016. He had previously served as commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Correction.

“Under Gov. Sisolak’s leadership, we have made significant reforms to the criminal justice and correctional systems,” Dzurenda said in a statement.

“Although there is more to be done, I have great confidence that Gov. Sisolak will establish Nevada as a model for its fair and reformative correctional programs,” Dzurenda said.

In a statement, Sisolak thanked Dzurenda for his service. “I am confident that he will be successful in all of his future endeavors,” he said.

Dzurenda oversaw changes in the Nevada prison system that included banning officers from using shotguns loaded with birdshot to break up fights and creating new guidelines for the treatment of inmates with mental health issues.

Dzurenda was not specific about his future plans. The news release said he is pursuing “new opportunities” and plans to spend more time with his family in Southern Nevada.