EDITORIAL: Bill shows the value of finding common ground

Punishment is a vital aspect of criminal deterrence, but providing a path for the wayward to become productive members of society is also important. A bipartisan bill signed by Gov. Joe Lombardo that goes into effect in October hopes to do just that.

The legislation, Assembly Bill 321, had four primary sponsors, including Assemblyman Jovan Jackson, a North Las Vegas Democrat, and PK O’Neill, a Carson City Republican. The bill, which passed earlier this year with no opposition, aims to expand employment opportunities for Nevada inmates who fight fires and participate in other work in the state’s conservation camps.

Nevada’s Conservation Camp Program offers inmates the opportunity to work in fire suppression and other areas. Participants can see reduced sentences in return. Working in this manner helps the inmates become certified as wildland firefighters.

In recent years, however, the number of inmates in the program has cratered as Nevada’s prison population has dropped. The state now has just four operating camps and sees only about 250 annual participants, down from 10 and 1,200 nearly 20 years ago.

As a result, Nevada is adding more full-time firefighters to the payroll and relying less on inmate crews. AB321 will establish a transitional housing and job training program to guide conservation camp participants toward employment with the state as the Nevada Division of Forestry expands job opportunities in the firefighting realm.

“I’ve been here 23 years,” State Forester/Firewarden Kacey KC told the Review-Journal. “I’ve known people who have crew-bossed inmate crews for equally as long, and they have run some amazingly talented crews across the state. These guys and gals work very, very hard.”

State Sen. John Steinbeck, a Las Vegas Republican who is a former chief of the Clark County Fire Department, echoed that sentiment. “Every time that we had an interaction and worked with the prisoner groups, they did their work, and we never had any issues that were ever reported to us.”

Inmates who use their time behind bars to educate themselves or learn a skill or trade are far less likely to become repeat offenders. In the federal system, a 2023 study found that prisoners “who participate in correctional education programs have 43 percent lower odds of returning to prison than those who do not,” the U.S. Department of Justice reported. Expenditures shown to significantly lower recidivism represent a net gain for law-abiding citizens.

In these times of hyper-partisanship and political division, AB321 is a tribute to common sense and the value of finding common ground. It’s a win-win for Nevada.