Carson City prison may face closure

CARSON CITY -- The closure of the Nevada State Prison will probably be on the table for the Legislature next year if the Department of Corrections must ultimately cut 14 percent of its 2009-11 budget, a report to the Board of Prison Commissioners states.

The closure of the prison in the capital, the state's oldest and one of the oldest in the West, would save $19 million a year but would mean eliminating 200 jobs.

Also on the table for the agency would be the closure of two minimum-security conservation camps in the first year of the budget, saving nearly $3 million a year, and the closure of another two camps in the second year, saving an additional $3.3 million. Which camps would be closed has not been determined.

The agency also expects to collect $4.6 million a year by leasing the Southern Nevada Correctional Center in Jean -- closed July 1 to meet spending reduction targets in the current budget -- to another government agency.

Corrections Department Director Howard Skolnik said he anticipates the prison and camps could be closed without requiring the early release of any inmates.

Gov. Jim Gibbons has asked agencies to submit proposed budgets showing spending levels that are 14 percent below current spending because of concerns tax revenues will continue to come in at levels far lower than anticipated. The new budget will take effect July 1, 2009.

The Legislature will meet starting in February to approve a new two-year budget.

Skolnik floated the idea of closing the Nevada State Prison in the current round of budget cuts, which have totaled $1.2 billion so far for all agencies, including public education. But lawmakers, who met in a special session in June to implement another round of cuts, balked at the idea, saying it needed more study.

The Board of Prison Commissioners will meet Tuesday to consider the cuts Skolnik has proposed. The Legislature asked for a cut of just under 3 percent on average from state agencies and education.

Prison Commissioner and Secretary of State Ross Miller objected to an approval of the cuts at a meeting in July, arguing he did not have enough information to make an informed decision.

The cuts will then be considered Aug. 14 by the Legislature's Interim Finance Committee.

The cuts proposed for this year by Skolnik include freezing vacant positions and closing one housing unit at the Nevada State Prison. They also include a delay in opening prison beds now under construction in Southern Nevada.

In addition to closing the Jean prison, the agency has closed a conservation camp to meet the current budget reduction targets.