Wednesday, May 7, 2003 | 11:08 a.m.
CARSON CITY -- A Senate-Assembly budget subcommittee today approved plans by the state Department of Corrections to start operation next year of a 200-prison inmate transition home in Las Vegas to help convicts find jobs and permanent housing.
The subcommittee also approved a plan to allow the department to accept 240 inmates from Washington to be confined in Nevada. The prisons are already housing 181 inmates from Wyoming.
Housing the out-of-state inmates will provide Nevada with a profit of $15.5 million over the next two years, correction officials told the subcommittee.
The subcommittee also approved allowing the prison's medical unit to provide service to the prison in Ely, ending a contract with a private company that now gives the medical care to the inmates.
One supporter of the transitional home in Las Vegas, Jackie Crawford, director of the corrections department, told the subcommittee that some inmates turn down their chance at parole because they can't find a job or housing.
"Do we want to continue to warehouse them and then turn them out on the street corner with $25? Crawford asked. She was referring to inmates who complete their term and are not required to have a job or home when they are released.
Crawford said there are transition-to-job programs for convicts in every state except Nevada.
The fiscal staff of the subcommittee had recommended against the project, saying there were too many uncertainties.
But Sen. Sandra Tiffany, R-Henderson, said the "whole idea of transition is sound." She said this gives the inmate time to find work and a home and "an opportunity to be successful."
Crawford said the plan calls for a private company to build a center and then lease it to the state. A site has not been selected. Under the program, the inmate would be required to pay $14 per day rent and $5 per day for programming services.
The correction department originally planned to join with a non-profit organization to build and operate the program for 436 inmates. But that deal fell through.
The 200-bed approved facility would open in July 2004. Before it could receive the money for operation, the department would have to present a full-fledged plan to the Interim Finance Committee.
The corrections department is housing 112 inmates from Wyoming, which has indicated it wants to continue the arrangement at least until June 30 2004.
The department and the state of Washington have a tentative contract for Nevada to house 240 inmates from that state at a rate of $68 per day. Nevada's average cost per inmate is $42 per inmate per day.
The state Board of Examiners meets next week to approve the contract.
Glen Whorton, assistant director of corrections for operations, told the subcommittee that Washington hasn't built the prisons to house its population. They would be housed at the High Desert State Prison in Southern Nevada.
"Washington is eager to send their inmates to Nevada," he said.
Tracy Raxter, a legislative fiscal analyst, said however this would mean that the prison at Lovelock would have to operate at emergency capacity. This overflow of inmates, he said causes stress for the prison, the staff and the prisoners.
Darrel Rexwinkel, assistant director for finance in the corrections department, said the system could get through this although it is "putting a little strain on us."
Correctional Medical Services, a private company has been providing the health care services for inmates at the Ely state prison and conservation camp for a number of years.
The contract expires June 30th this year. The state has received bids from two companies but the best bid would require an extra $1.1 million over the next two years.
Prison officials said the prison's medical unit could provide the care for an extra $240,000 over the next two years. So the subcommittee decided to end the contract with the private company.
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