Discussion of state prison closure delayed

Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford refused Wednesday to even discuss the plan to close Nevada State Prison, saying he first wants to see "an overall housing plan" for the prison system.

Horsford, D-Las Vegas, also objected to a proposed increase in general fund spending for prisons in the governor's budget.

Sandoval's prison budget includes $495.2 million in general fund money for the biennium that begins July 1. That is $56.5 million over current general fund support.

Inmates, however, would no longer be provided free coffee, tea or fruit drinks, for an estimated savings of $400,000.

The general fund portion of the Department of Corrections budget was increased to replace federal funding lost when the stimulus program ended, acting Director Greg Cox said.

"This is a completely different approach than what was taken for education," said Horsford, pointing out that K-12 and especially the university system weren't allowed to replace stimulus funding with general fund money.

Prison officials said after the hearing that, unlike the university system, they don't have control over how many customers the state's courts send them.

"We take what we get," said Cox.

The closure of NSP in Carson City, the state's oldest prison, is expected to save $16.1 million over the biennium and eliminate 112 of the 209 jobs assigned to that institution.

But Cox said most of those workers will move to other positions in the system. He said there could be as few as 20 actual layoffs.

Union officials said after the hearing their original analysis of closing NSP would have resulted in every officer there with less than five years experience being laid off.

When Cox started to lay out the numbers, Horsford stopped him.

"I don't want to get into that discussion with you right now," he said.

He said he wants to see an overall plan for all Nevada's prisons first to review how the system will handle things if the prison population grows beyond projections.

Unions have strongly opposed shuttering NSP, which currently houses 730 inmates. They expressed concern a spike in the inmate population could leave the state without enough beds if NSP isn't available.

Cox said the prison population is running more than 600 below projections for this year. He said there are 672 empty beds at High Desert State Prison, some 300 beds at the Florence McClure women's prison in North Las Vegas and space at Three Lakes Conservation Camp as well.

Prison officials have tried for the past two legislative sessions to shut NSP but have been blocked by lawmakers who first objected to the lack of a detailed plan then agreed with union officials the system can't afford to lose the capacity. They say closing NSP is the best way to save money because, as the oldest (more than 100 years in its core) it is by far the least efficient and most expensive to operate. It is costing the state $23,615 an inmate each year. By comparison, Warm Springs next door costs $17,483 per inmate and Northern Nevada Correctional Center in south Carson City $17,347.

The state's newest prisons, High Desert and Southern Desert, cost just $14,061 and $12,085 respectively per inmate per year to run.

Nevada's prisons house nearly 13,000 inmates.

Horsford also objected to plans to lay off 45 parole and probation officers, saying it makes no sense to cut back on a program that keeps ex-felons from returning to prison which is much more expensive for the state.

He said he would rather see P&P's budget restored with some of the general fund increase proposed for the prison system.

Wednesday's hearing was one of several pre-session overviews of the governor's budget proposal that he released Jan. 24. The 2011 Legislature convenes Monday.

• The Associated Press contributed to this story.