Prison furlough rules not met yet

The state worker furloughs mandated by the 2009 Legislature are giving prison system officials a multimillion-dollar headache.

Lawmakers ordered state employees to take one day off a month without pay, the equivalent of a 4.6 percent pay cut, beginning July 1. The furloughs will save an estimated $333 million.

Corrections Department Director Howard Skolnik has requested that his department be given an additional month to find ways to give guards and other staff the days off without jeopardizing public safety.

Nevada prisons are already understaffed, complicating any potential solutions, he said.

Among the ideas Skolnik is considering are shutting down parts of a prison and packing the inmates into a smaller area that could be supervised by fewer guards.

Another possibility, he said, is a "rolling lockdown," which would keep inmates locked in their cells for longer periods. Such a move would interrupt programs and inmates would lose work credits, he said. "It creates a stressful situation for everybody and it's not high on the list of solutions."

The Legislature set aside $4 million to pay for exemptions from the furloughs. If the prison system doesn't participate, it will cost the state an additional $8.4 million.

State Budget Director Andrew Clinger said the prison system is one of two agencies asking for an exemption. The Employment Security Department - which provides job placement and training through the state's workforce investment system, Nevada JobConnect - has said the furloughs would jeopardize federal funds used to support the agency.

The state Board of Examiners meets Tuesday to decide whether to grant the exemptions.