By Diamante Asberry, ACLU of Nevada Communications Intern
As the 2021 Nevada legislative session nears its end, many crucial prison reforms have been halted in their tracks.
Nevada’s criminal justice system desperately needs reform to lessen the amount of human rights violations it perpetuates, but legislators have failed to deliver that change. Unresolved fiscal notes have led to a standstill on multiple important pieces of legislation.
Here are some prison reform bills currently stuck in Finance Committee:
Senate Bill 187, sponsored by Senator Spearman, seeks to limit the number of days that an incarcerated person can be placed in solitary confinement.
Senate Bill 258, sponsored by Senator Scheible, seeks to update the Department of Corrections regulations to meet prevailing standards of care for incarcerated people who are transgender and gender nonconforming.
Senate Bill 365, sponsored by the Senate Committee on Judiciary, seeks to establish a pilot program for juvenile offenders who are convicted as adults to be housed in the custody of the Division of Child and Family Services until age 18, rather than being housed in adult correctional facilities.
Solitary confinement is inhumane, transgender prisoners deserve better protections, and minors do not belong in adult correctional facilities. The legislature has failed to address these important issues. Nevadans deserve better.
The legislature must act, and act fast, to ensure that the criminal justice system gets these necessary reforms. Let them know that time is running out.
