By GEOFF DORNAN
Nevada Appeal Capitol Bureau
Lawmakers on Monday told Director of Corrections Howard Skolnik they don't think closing Nevada State Prison and leasing the Jean prison to federal immigration authorities are good ideas.
"We were asked to reduce our budget by $41.5 million and that's not an easy task," Skolnik told the combined Assembly Ways and Means and Senate Finance committees.
He said cuts of that magnitude only can be accomplished by shutting down a major institution and that closing NSP in Carson City made the most sense because it is least efficient. Shutting it, he said, saves nearly $37 million over the biennium.
Assemblywoman Kathy McClain, D-Las Vegas, said it makes no sense when the budget also contemplates spending $220 million to build a new prison down south.
"I personally think the perception of closing a functioning prison and instead building $200 million more in prisons at an economic time like this is ridiculous," she said. "I need a whole lot more justification for closing a prison and laying off a whole lot of people in a small town."
Closing NSP would result in up to 130 layoffs.
Skolnik said NSP, the state's original prison and more than 100 years old, requires about twice as many staff per inmate as the newest prisons and still isn't as safe for other inmates or prison workers.
Housing units at NSP, he said, require an officer for every 17.5 inmates. The new prison at High Desert is staffed at one for every 30.5, making NSP much more expensive to operate.
He said Jean can be leased to the federal immigration service to generate about $18 million in revenue for the department. But he said plans are to convert Jean into a women's prison in about five years when that contract ends.
Then, Skolnik said, the North Las Vegas women's prison can be converted into a geriatrics prison for aging inmates. He said the system already has some 1,800 inmates over age 50, many serving life sentences.
Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford, D-Las Vegas, said he wants all of those plans spelled out for lawmakers to review. And he made it clear he too is skeptical about the plans.
Contact reporter Geoff Dornan at gdornan@nevadaappeal.com or 687-8750.