Nevada’s juvenile correctional facility reopens after March closure
Nevada's only maximum-security juvenile correctional facility has reopened after closing suddenly in March.
Several youth were transferred to the Clark County facility Tuesday, according to Chrystal Main, spokeswoman for Nevada Department of Health and Human Services.
More youth will be transferred to Summit View Youth Correctional Center Friday, when an opening ceremony will take place. Governor Brian Sandoval and several Nevada legislators are expected to attend.
The all-male facility, formerly called Red Rock Academy, was closed last year because of compliance issues on the part of Rite of Passage, the nonprofit that was running it.
The facility on Range Road will now be run by the state and is budgeted to fill 48 of its 96 beds. The facility was set to open in September but was delayed because it needed more time to hire staff and finish building repairs. The facility will house at-risk youths aged 18 and under. Two other youth correctional facilities exist in Nevada, one in Elko and another in Caliente, but neither are maximum-security.
Main said that 64 of the 68 approved staffing positions have been filled and added that the remaining four positions have candidates in the process of completing paperwork.
A 2014 Legislative Counsel Bureau audit found the facility was not complying with requirements for administration of medications and for staff-to-youth ratios.
The facility's approved budget for the 2016-2017 biennium is $14.6 million, with $1.8 million spent in Fiscal Year 16 to support the reopening, Main said.
Contact Alexander S. Corey at acorey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0270. Find him on Twitter:@acoreynews
