Nevada lawmakers hear arguments on house arrest bill

Nevada lawmakers have heard debate over a bill that would allow courts to give a defendant credit for time served in house arrest.

The comments came during a committee meeting in Carson City on Thursday morning. Supporters of the legislation say house arrest is punitive and affording time served for the punishment would ease the burden from the state’s corrections system.

The bill’s sponsor, Assemblyman Ozzie Fumo, says the legislation would give a judge the discretion to approve of giving credit for time served in house arrest. One bill supporter says the bill would give an incentive for a person on house arrest to comply.

John Jones Jr. with the Nevada District Attorneys Association spoke in opposition of the bill, arguing that time served in house arrest is not the same jail confinement.