LAS VEGAS, Nevada – As Nevada’s prison population increases, recidivism remains high, with nearly one in three offenders returning to custody within three years of their release, according to the Crime and Justice Institute’s third and final data presentation to the Advisory Commission on the Administration of Justice on Nov. 8.
The presentation focused on the Nevada Department of Corrections’ recidivism analysis, which showed that nearly a third of offenders released in 2014 were back in custody within three years. The analysis also determined that recidivism rates have grown for female offenders, while the male recidivism rate has remained stagnant. Recidivism rates increased across all offense types except for DUI offenses.
CJI also presented findings showing that out of a sample of cases reviewed 44 percent of community supervision failures were a result of substance abuse and 79 percent of pre-sentence investigation reports indicated the offender had a behavioral health issue.
The ACAJ has been working on an in-depth review of the state’s criminal justice system through the Justice Reinvestment Initiative, a public-private partnership designed to help states adopt policies and procedures that control prison population growth while holding offenders accountable and protecting public safety.
With the completion of the data presentations, the ACAJ will move onto the policy development phase of the project. The commission will ultimately make recommendations to the Legislature for consideration during the 2019 legislative session. These policy changes will be based on Nevada’s criminal justice data, recidivism reduction principles rooted in research, and what’s worked in other states to solve similar challenges that currently face Nevada.
Click here to learn more about CJI’s work in Nevada.