Nevada Hall of Shame

Alliance Collegiums Association of Southern Nevada
Southern Nevada
Ministers Alliance Association of Southern Nevada
March 31, 2003
Nearly six months after receiving a federal grant for $423,000, a Southern Nevada faith-based group led by black ministers has yet to provide any services for its stated mission: helping felons upon their release from prison. The efforts of the Alliance Collegiums Association of Southern Nevada, an organization headed by the Ministers Alliance Association of Southern Nevada, had been plagued by infighting even before the federal government granted money for the project in October. All but two of the seven board members of the association have resigned, and one employee of the program was fired after he questioned the handling of federal dollars and raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest. Two other employees who were hired to run the program were later labeled "potential employees" and denied pay for what they claimed was several months' worth of work. Tobey Benitez, who in October was hired as director of counseling for the program, was fired last month just four days after he wrote a letter to Davis, who also serves as president of the Board of Directors for the Alliance Collegiums Association. "All they're doing is spending money, and none of it has gone to benefit prisoners," Benitez said. Sheila Jerusalem, a spokesman for the Department of Justice, said the agency planned soon to begin an inquiry into how the alliance has managed the grant. (Review Journal.com)

Clark County Detention Center
Clark, Nevada
Prison Health Services
May 4, 2004
The death of Karl Robert Kurfis was caused by the denial of his HIV medication while in the Clark County Detention Center, attorney Robert Langford said during opening arguments in a federal trial Monday. A lawsuit originally filed on Kurfis' behalf and now listing his mother as the plaintiff seeks $10 million in punitive damages from Metro Police and Prison Health Services Inc., the medical contractor for the Clark County Detention Center. "Karl Kurfis died because of a system that does not care about the detainees who arrive and get sick at the Clark County Detention Center," Langford said. "This trial is about a system that isn't working. A system that does not provide medical care to citizens when they are detained at the detention center." Bruce Alverson, representing the defendants in the case, who also include former Sheriff Jerry Keller and Dr. Harvey Hoffman, the jail's medical director, countered that Kurfis did not die because of mistreatment at the jail, but because of his own unwillingness to take his medication. "The plaintiff refused to take his HIV medication," Alverson said. "Why? Because he abused methamphetamine and it has been shown that drug abusers lack the responsibility to take care of themselves." Kurfis, 34, died on June 3, 2002, of a strain of pneumonia that often attacks AIDS patients. Kurfis had been arrested in February 2000 on a burglary charge, and was held until September of that year. Kurfis only received his HIV medication for 14 days during the incarceration, Langford said. (Las Vegas Sun)

November 19, 2003
The family of a French citizen who died in a videotaped struggle with Las Vegas jail guards has settled a federal lawsuit against the jail's health care provider, according to a relative and the American Civil Liberties Union. The undisclosed settlement between the family of Philippe LeMenn, 33, and Prison Health Services Inc., was the last of a series of civil lawsuits stemming from LeMenn's death in January 2001. "Nothing can compensate the family for the tragic loss of their son, but we hope this gives them some sense of relief and a small measure of justice,"said Gary Peck, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada. The ACLU acted as co-counsel for the family. Peck said the Oct. 29 settlement with the health care company, combined with a $500,000 settlement in July with Las Vegas police, illustrated the cost of providing substandard inmate care at the county jail in Las Vegas. The ACLU acted as co-counsel for the family. Lawyers for LeMenn's family had alleged that Prison Health Services psychiatrists and psychologists failed to identify LeMenn's mental health problems when he was booked into the Clark County Detention Center. Lawyers for the company, based in Brentwood, Tenn., could not immediately be reached for comment. The ACLU alleged that the case highlighted a chronic lack of care for mentally ill inmates at the jail. The case against Las Vegas police, who administer the jail, claimed wrongful death, battery and negligent supervision and training of guards. A Clark County coroner ruled that LeMenn died of asphyxiation due to restraint. A coroner's inquest cleared the nine corrections officers videotaped struggling to subdue the 275-pound man. Philip Moreau, LeMenn's cousin, said he had wanted the jail, guards and administrators held responsible for his cousin's death. He said he disagreed with the family's decision to settle, and did not know the settlement amount. "I wanted them to be punished publicly, not under the table,"Moreau said by telephone from his home in West Los Angeles, Calif. LeMenn, a restaurant manager, had been arrested by Clark County School District police on charges of disorderly conduct, annoying a minor and causing a disturbance on school property. Police said he grabbed a child and banged on a school bus before he was taken to jail. (Reno Gazette-Journal)

July 1, 2002
A former Clark County Detention Center inmate who said the jail's decision to cut off his access to AIDS medications worsened his condition has died. Karl Robert Kurfis, 34, died June 3 at Nathan Adelson Hospice. The lawsuit names a variety of defendants. Dr. Harvey Hoffman, director of the jail's medical clinic; Prison Health Services; and EMSA Correctional Care. According to the lawsuit that was filed with the backing of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, Kurfis was arrested on a burglary charge and housed at the jail in February 2000. At the time of his arrest, he was taking what is referred to as a cocktail of medications aimed at combating the disease. Kurfis' lawsuit alleges that a jail official who blamed Kurfis' drug habit for his condition cut off the medications for as long as seven months. "For this seven-month period when he did not have access to these medications, it allowed for a deterioration of his immune system," Costo said. "When he got out he was in bad shape and he was really not able to recover."Gary Peck, executive director of the ACLU of Nevada, contends that the allegations contained in Kurfis' lawsuit are part of a pattern of poor medical treatment for inmates at the jail. "There needs to be a systemic change in the way health care is provided to people incarcerated in that facility," Peck said. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Las Vegas Housing Authority
Las Vegas, Nevada
Guardian Security
July 11, 2003 Las Vegas Sun
A man pepper-sprayed by security guards trying to restrain him Thursday struggled to breathe and then died only minutes after a 6-foot-6, 370-pound guard pushed a knee into his back while handcuffing him, police said. Las Vegas police are investigating the 4:30 a.m. death of 21-year-old Demario Love, but have not charged anyone in the incident that unfolded at a Las Vegas Housing Authority apartment complex near Cashman Center. Las Vegas police Lt. Tom Monahan said detectives have conducted interviews with the private security guards involved, as well as witnesses, but are awaiting the results of an autopsy before proceeding further. Their employer, Guardian Security, also declined to provide their identities, citing the advice of a company attorney. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Lincoln County, Nevada
Western Correction
Sold on the economic development scam by WC, the county hired private equity company Juran & Moody to issue $ 3.5 million in tax-free bonds to build a spec prison. The town was sold on the idea that the profits from the prison would build new sewage plants and schools. It paid-out the bond money to construct the prison. The gates opened in 1994 and still sits empty. Bondholders were told they could have the facility back. They may get $ .10 on the dollar if they can find a buyer. (The Independent, London, June 25, 2000)

Nevada Legislature
January 29, 2003
A White House Lawyer has notifies Nevada Secretary of state Dean Heller's office that Drug Czar John Walters does not have to follow a Nevada political campaign law. In a Monday letter, General Counsel Edward Jurith said Walters is "immune" from a state law requiring people who advocate positions on Nevada ballot questions to identify their contributions and report expenditures. "This letter is not a serious response," said Bruce Mirken, director of communication for the Marijuana Policy Project. "It is insulting. They don't cite any statue or special authority that makes them immune from the law. They just say they don't have to. (Review Journal)

January 17, 2003
A spokesman for the Office of National Drug Policy said Thursday it would be "silly" for Drug Czar John Walters to file campaign expenditure reports for speaking out against marijuana legalization in Nevada. "Part of the job of the drug czar is to talk about the problem of drug abuse in America, which he feels would be worse with drug legalization," spokesman Tom Riley said. "He doesn't file a campaign statement in each state he goes to. That would be silly." Riley said Walters has received a letter from Secretary of State Dean Heller in which he was asked to explain why he should not comply with the state's campaign contributions and expenditures law. That law requires every person who advocates or opposes a ballot question in Nevada to submit reports detailing his contributions and expenditures. Walters visited Nevada three times in the fall to speak out against Question 9, which would have allowed adults to possess as much as 3 ounces of marijuana in their homes. The ballot question failed by a 61 percent to 39 percent vote in the November election. His office also ran many television commercials warning residents of the dangers of marijuana use. Heller sent the letter to Walters after receiving a complaint about the drug czar's failure to follow the law from the Marijuana Policy Project. (Review Journal)

January 16, 2003
Nevada's secretary of state has asked National Drug Czar John Walters to explain why he hasn't followed the state's campaign contributions and expenditures law. Secretary of State Dean Heller released a letter Wednesday that he sent to Walters, asking the federal official to explain why he has failed to submit legally required information about his efforts to defeat Question 9. Nevada voters in November rejected the ballot question, which would have allowed adults to possess as much as 3 ounces of marijuana in their homes. During the campaign, Walters made three trips to Nevada to speak out against the ballot question, and his Office of National Drug Control ran many television advertisements warning of the dangers of marijuana. Under a state law, "every person" who advocates the passage or defeat of a ballot question must submit campaign contribution and expenditure reports. (Review Journal)

Nevada Parole and Probation
Las Vegas, Nevada
Securicor
April 8, 2005 Las Vegas Review-Journal
A state contract employee was arrested Thursday on allegations of taking cash payments to ease restrictions for people serving house arrest. Detectives from the Department of Public Safety's Investigation Division and the Parole and Probation Division arrested Henry Michael Palmer, 42, at his Las Vegas office. Palmer is employed by Securicor EMS as a case manager overseeing offenders on house arrest. Securicor is a private firm that has contracted with the state Division of Parole and Probation to assist in the use of electronic monitoring for the agency's House Arrest Program. Securicor cooperated in the investigation.

Reno-Tahoe International Airport
Reno, Nevada
Olympic Security
June 6, 2003
A former security screener at Reno-Tahoe International Airport was sentenced Thursday to two years' probation for concocting a story about an armed passenger in November 2001. The false story caused authorities to evacuate the airport's B Concourse and suspend most of the airport's flight operations for two hours. Authorities later determined that Cheryl Yvonne Shears, 47, of Reno had made up the story to cover up the fact that she had been drinking while on duty. The incident occurred Nov. 16, 2001, when Shears was working for Olympic Security, a company that contracted with Southwest Airlines to conduct physical searches of passengers and their carry-on luggage. On that date, Shears reported to a Federal Aviation Administration official that she had found a knife in a passenger's carry-on bag. She said she had denied the passenger access to the airplane but that he had grabbed the knife from her and returned into the airport. Shears also reported that the same man followed her to the restroom, opened the door to her stall and pointed a gun at her head before returning to the secure area of the airport. The woman said she was so frightened by the incident that she went to an airport bar and drank a double vodka before reporting it to authorities. (Review Journal)

Southern Nevada Women's Correctional Facility
North Las Vegas, Nevada
CCA
July 12, 2005 Las Vegas Sun
A federal judge on Monday dismissed a suit against the Corrections Corporation of America brought by a female inmate who had sex with a former prison guard, according to attorneys on both sides of the case. The judge, Robert Jones, also ordered that transcripts of Monday's hearing be sent to the Nevada State Bar because the case against the corporation may have violated rules on frivolous lawsuits, attorneys said. The original suit, brought by Korinda Martin, alleged that the Corrections Corporation was negligent and did not properly hire and train staff at Southern Nevada Women's Facility, among other complaints. While serving time at the facility, Martin had sex with a guard, Randy Easter, and was impregnated. She later gave birth to a boy. Martin and Easter pleaded guilty to having sexual relations, and a state judge sentenced them both to probation. He stated during the sentencing that the sex between the two was consensual. The judge essentially felt that Martin schemed to get pregnant and then sue, lawyers said. They said that Jones believed Martin's suit may have violated rules on frivolous lawsuits and rules dictating that an attorney make accurate representation of a case as an officer of the court.

April 20, 2005 AP
A former Nevada state prison inmate and the former guard who fathered her child have been sentenced to probation by a judge who decided the relationship was consensual. Clark County District Court Judge Donald Mosley said Tuesday that love notes and photos Korinda Martin, 25, gave to Randy Easter, 46, showed she was not a victim. Martin maintains she was forced into sex by Easter when she became pregnant in 2003 at the Southern Nevada Women's Correctional Center in North Las Vegas. Easter pleaded guilty in January to voluntary sexual conduct with a prisoner, a felony. Martin pleaded the equivalent of no contest to conspiracy to commit a crime, a gross misdemeanor. The two had been indicted on one count each of voluntary sexual conduct between an inmate and another person. Martin has filed a federal lawsuit against Easter and Corrections Corporation of America, which ran the women's prison until the state took control last October. Martin's lawyer, Scott Olifant, said Tuesday that Martin could not have consented to sex because of Easter's position of authority.

March 23, 2005 Las Vegas Review-Journal
A former prison guard offered no excuses Tuesday for having sex with an inmate who later gave birth to his son. The former guard, Randy Easter, told District Judge Donald Mosley the relationship never should have happened. 'There's no reason for it,' Easter said. 'I can't justify it. There's nothing I can say to make it better.' Nevada law makes it a felony for a prisoner and a prison employee to have sex with each other. Easter, a former corrections officer at the Southern Nevada Women's Correctional Facility in North Las Vegas, and inmate Korinda Martin were indicted in March 2004 and later entered into plea agreements. The pair appeared before Mosley for sentencing on Tuesday, but the judge postponed the hearing until April 19 after learning that Martin had written letters to Easter during their relationship. Mosley said he wanted to read the letters before sentencing the defendants. Martin has filed a federal lawsuit against Easter and the Corrections Corporation of America, which operated the women's prison until October. The document alleges that Martin 'could not resist the sexual demands of Randy Easter due to the inherent power and control prison guards have over prisoners in a prison environment.'

January 26, 2005 Las Vegas Review-Journal
A former prison guard and the inmate he is accused of impregnating at the Southern Nevada Women's Correctional Center entered into plea agreements Tuesday in District Court. Randy Easter, according to authorities, was working at the prison in North Las Vegas in 2003 when he had sex with inmate Korinda Martin, who was housed at the prison on theft-related charges. Martin gave birth to the pair's baby last year. In an appearance before District Judge Stewart Bell on Tuesday, Easter pleaded guilty to a felony count of voluntary sexual conduct with a prisoner. Martin, meanwhile, appeared in front of Bell and entered an Alford plea to a single gross misdemeanor count of conspiracy to commit a crime. Gerald Gardner, chief of the criminal division at the Nevada attorney general's office, said Easter was working for a private company contracted to run the prison at the time of the crime. DNA testing later identified him as the father of the baby.

November 8, 2004 Las Vegas Review-Journal
A salad bar. Eye contact. Written rules. Being called by your name. Four things that sound so simple. Yet inmates at the Southern Nevada Women's Correctional Center in North Las Vegas said these changes improved their lot behind bars since the state took back control of the prison Oct. 1. "We're treated differently," said LaTisha Babb, 25, who has been in custody in Nevada for seven years. Most of her time as a prisoner has been under the administration of Corrections Corporation of America, a for-profit private company contracted to run the 500-bed women's prison for seven years. Babb already has seen changes. "There's eye contact, the guards know your name, the food and medical is better, and if you have a medical problem, they don't brush you off." CCA was paid $49.22 a day per inmate, and company officials said that was unprofitable because of rising health care costs. CCA didn't care whether the women ended up back behind bars because it didn't matter to the company's bottom line.

August 2, 2004
Leaders of Corrections Corporation of America, the private prison operator that built and has run the state women's prison in North Las Vegas since 1997, complain the company has unfairly criticized for its treatment of inmates. John Tighe, vice president of health services for Corrections Corporation of America, says the company has lost $1 million a year, mainly from supplying quality health and mental health services to the 464 inmates at the Southern Nevada Women's Correction Facility. Tighe and CCA spokesman Steve Owens said they wanted to correct "inappropriate and misinformed allegations" against the company. They said the company deals humanely with the inmates and will continue to do so until Oct. 1, when the state takes over the prison. Dr. Ted D'Amico, director of medical services for the state Department of Corrections, said the company focused on its profit margin and "the mental health and health care were not as good as we thought it should be." (AP)

June 21, 2004
The Nevada Corrections Department says it could do a better job of running a women's prison in North Las Vegas than a private company - but costs would go up by at least $1 million a year. The department said it would have a better-qualified staff and provide "superior programming" for the prison, which houses about 460 inmates. "Under a private vendor, the women's correctional system would continue to be fragmented from the rest of Nevada's correctional operations and remain subject to the allegation that Nevada's female offenders are denied equal protection or treated like 'second-class citizens,"' the department said. The prison has had problems in the past year that included an inmate becoming pregnant. DNA testing showed a guard was the father. In addition, inmates signed a petition that complained of poor food quality and medical care, among other things. Corrections Corporation of America, which built and has operated the prison since 1997, is pulling out on Sept. 30 at the end of its contract. (AP)

April 12, 2004
Nearly half of the 464 inmates at a privately run state women's prison in North Las Vegas have signed a petition stating conditions at the prison are unacceptable and the state should take over. The 215 inmates are complaining about poor food and medical care, staffers who aren't properly trained, inadequate grievance procedure and missing personal items at the prison now run by Corrections Corporation of America. The petition was sent to Governor Guinn, members of the Legislature and the state Department of Corrections. (krnv.com)

April 3, 2004
The inspector general for the Nevada Department of Corrections told a grand jury that "somebody wasn't watching the shop well enough" when a guard impregnated an inmate last year at the privately run women's prison in North Las Vegas. Inspector General Pat Conmay made the comment March 16 during a grand jury hearing that led to the indictment of former prison guard Randy Easter and inmate Korinda Martin, who recently gave birth to Easter's son. Each of the defendants faces one count of voluntary sexual conduct between an inmate and another person. (Review-Journal)

March 24, 2004
The state has started accepting bids from private companies to run the women's prison in North Las Vegas after Corrections Corp. of America pulls out Oct. 1. The bidding process was opened Monday, and proposals must be submitted by May 1, said Darrel Rexwinkel, assistant director for finance in the state Department of Corrections. Rexwinkel told the state Prison Board Tuesday the bids would be evaluated and then brought for approval to the state Board of Examiners and the Legislative Interim Finance Committee. Gov. Kenny Guinn, chairman of the Prison Board, raised the possibility that he might have to use his emergency powers to keep the prison open if the contracts are not approved by the various state boards. "We have to have a fall-back position," Guinn said. "I don't want to look at a crisis." He referred to a similar situation at Summit View, the juvenile detention center in North Las Vegas that was shut down when the private contractor pulled out. It has now re-opened under state operation. Corrections Department Director Jackie Crawford said the state could not shut down the women's prison. She said she intends to submit a "request for proposal" so her plan can be compared to the bids from private industry to run the prison. Corrections Corporation of America built and has operated the prison since 1997. The state paid CCA a set amount per inmate that was adjusted for inflation every year. In 2001, the state bought the buildings and equipment, but CCA continued to operate it. It then served notice it would not renew its contract Oct. 1 because it is losing money. Rexwinkel said he hopes to have the bids and a tentative agreement ready to present to the June 16 meeting of the Interim Finance Committee. (Las Vegas Sun)

March 19, 2004
Representatives of the American Civil Liberties Union expressed concern Thursday about the decision to prosecute a Nevada inmate with the prison guard who impregnated her. "The law that permits this kind of prosecution of an inmate is itself very problematic," said Gary Peck, the ACLU of Nevada's executive director. Peck said the 1981 law "seems to be based upon a profound misunderstanding of the nature of what it means to be incarcerated and have to deal with guards who have near absolute power over inmates." "Nationally, the problem of sexual assault and exploitation and other types of predatory behavior in prisons and jails is an epidemic one," he said. "The idea that they would be expending scarce prosecutorial resources by seeking to criminalize and punish an inmate in this kind of situation is deeply troubling and is hardly the way to go about addressing the real institutional problems." Inmate Korinda Martin was indicted Wednesday with Randy Easter, a former corrections officer at the privately run Southern Nevada Women's Correctional Facility in North Las Vegas. Each faces one count of voluntary sexual conduct between a prisoner and another person, a felony that carries a maximum penalty of four years in prison. "The idea of participation of an inmate in a voluntary sexual relationship with a guard is a preposterous notion," ACLU attorney Allen Lichtenstein said. "Clearly an inmate does not have the independent power to resist and decline a guard's sexual advance." Lichtenstein said the situation "can be no more voluntary than a sexual relationship between a teacher and student." "The power imbalance is much too great," the attorney said. "An inmate cannot simply walk away, and to suggest that both parties are equally culpable strains credibility." Chief Deputy Attorney General Gerald Gardner said prosecutors "are definitely sensitive to that issue." "In this particular case, we presented a very balanced case to the grand jury, so that they could make a judgment on that very issue," he said. Witnesses who testified before the panel included one inmate and one former inmate from the Southern Nevada Women's Correctional Facility. Martin, 24, filed a federal lawsuit in December against Easter and accused him of impregnating her at the North Las Vegas prison. She delivered a boy Jan. 12, and DNA testing confirmed Easter was the father. According to her lawsuit, Martin "could not resist the sexual demands of Randy Easter due to the inherent power and control prison guards have over prisoners in a prison environment." Martin's lawsuit named the state Corrections Department and the Corrections Corporation of America, which operates the Southern Nevada Women's Correctional Facility, as defendants. (Review-Journal)

February 26, 2004
Gov. Kenny Guinn's administration is going to try to find another private company to run the state women's prison in North Las Vegas, but the state may eventually become the operator. Jackie Crawford, director of the state Department of Corrections, said Tuesday she intends to compete with private companies in the bidding process for control of the 550-bed Southern Nevada Women's Facility. Crawford's proposal has the support of Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas, vice chairwoman of the Assembly Ways and Means Committee, which helps shape the state's budget. Giunchigliani, a supporter of state operation of the prison, said the Department of Corrections should be allowed in the competition. Corrections Corporation of America, the company that built and operated the prison since 1997, has given notice it will not renew its contract effective Oct. 1. The company said it is pulling out because it has lost money on the operation. Keith Munro, Guinn's legal counsel and assistant chief of staff, said Tuesday the administration would put out a request for proposals for a private company to continue to operate the prison. He said the Legislature fashioned the biennial budget to have a private company in charge. But Giunchigliani said the state could take it over with approval of the Legislative Interim Finance Committee, which meets several times before the Legislature opens in February 2005. Munro said it "won't take long" to put together a request for proposals and the evaluation process would require 90 to 120 days Corrections Corporation of America is the largest operator of private prisons in the nation. Steve Owen, a company spokesman, said the company would have an interest in submitting a bid to win back a new version of the Nevada contract about he emphasized it would have to be a "viable" contract to allow the company to earn a profit. Crawford said any bid proposal should require a company to pay it worker as much as the state would. She said that was "fair and equitable." Crawford said the security and the rehabilitation programs of CCA at the North Las Vegas prison were good. She said there were no escapes and no major disturbances. Crawford said CCA was "very cooperative" when she had to pare down her budget because of the tough financial times being experienced by the state. Crawford said, "I'm not blaming (CCA)" for canceling the contract. She said she understood the company is out to make a profit. The only issue was medical care for the women inmates, she said. CCA had complained that the state would dump sick inmates from other prison conservation camps into the North Las Vegas prison. The prison and CCA reached an agreement for the state to assume the medical care for the inmates. Dr. Ted D'Amico, director of the medical program for the prison, said he could provide better care for the female inmates if the state assumed control of that phase. CCA would have paid the state $14.71 per inmate each month this fiscal year and $15.15 next fiscal year to cover the health care. That would have reduced the state's payment per inmate to CCA to $33 per inmate a month this fiscal year and $34.08 next fiscal year. The Legislative Interim Finance Committee, however, balked at the suggestion and appointed a study committee headed by Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, to examine the deal. Raggio, a strong proponent of private companies running prisons, said the budget staff of the Legislature felt the prison would end up spending more money on this medical care than CCA was allocating. Raggio, whose son died in the last week, could not be reached for comment Tuesday. The state went out to bid in 2002 for other private companies to run the prison. It was looking for a better and more economical deal than CCA of Tennessee. CCA wound up being one of the five bidders. The others were Cornell Companies of Houston, Texas; Correctional Medical Services of St. Louis, Mo.; Prison Health Services of Brentwood, Tenn.; and Civigenics of Marlborough, Ma. Munro said an evaluation showed the existing CCA contract was still the best. Giunchigliani said legislators "always anticipate the state running the prison." She said the state does the best job in this area. "Hopefully Jackie (Crawford) will staff up and make a bid," she said. Giunchigliani said, however, that she would like to see a nonprofit company run the drug rehabilitation program at the women's prison. And she wants to make sure the women are trained for jobs, not just for cooking, sewing and housekeeping. The Oct. 1 pullout by CCA will give the chance for the state corrections department to approach the Interim Finance Committee for some extra money and then come to the session that starts in February for a full budget presentation, said Giunchigliani. Giunchigliani said she pushed for a new women's prison in 1991 but some lawmakers wanted to put it in Lincoln County as a form of economic development. She said she had to agree to allow a private company to operate it so it could be built in Clark County where there are more services and the inmates are closer to their families. The contract between the state and CCA runs until June 2015 with an automatic renewal every three years. CCA took the option of notifying the state now so it would have plenty of time to find an alternative operator. CCA is the latest private company to pull out of a contract with the state in a penal institution. The state ended its contract with a private company to provide medical care at the state prison in Ely last year. Munro said that contract lasted seven to eight years. Summit View, the male juvenile detention center in North Las Vegas, was operated by the private Correctional Services Corp. But there were problems there including escapes and staff having sexual relations with the inmates. Correctional Services ended its contract, claiming it could not make money. State Human Resources Director Mike Willden blamed part of the problem on the low pay at Summit View that attracted some unqualified staff. Willden advocated and finally got approval for the state to re-open the center with state employees. Willden argued that state operation of the facility would allow for better control of security and better control of the programs being offered to the inmates. Crawford said one of the problems both she and CCA faced in Clark County was hiring employees. She said Clark County pays higher wages and the state prison and the privately owned prison lost workers to the county. She said the turnover rate of correctional officers at the Southern Nevada Women's Facility was high. CCA built the North Las Vegas prison but the state eventually bought the buildings and the equipment from the private company. The most recent controversy at the prison involved an inmate who became pregnant. DNA testing indicated the father of the baby was a former guard at the prison, authorities said. (Sun Capital Bureau)

February 26, 2004
Not long after signing its current three-year contract with the state, which expires Oct. 1, the Corrections Corporation of America began complaining. Even though it had agreed to the terms of the contract to run the 550-bed women's prison in North Las Vegas, the corporation protested that it was losing money. The state's relationship with the corporation became so tense that in January 2003, Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, asked what would happen if the corporation declined to renew its contract. Jackie Crawford, director of the Corrections Department, responded: "We are very capable of moving in and taking over that facility immediately." Last week, in a letter to Crawford, the corporation officially announced that it would not seek renewal of the contract. Unfortunately, Crawford's resolute response was not repeated. Keith Munro, deputy chief of staff and general counsel to Gov. Kenny Guinn, said the state will review proposals to run the prison it had received two years ago from three private companies. The proposals had been sought by the state during another of its confrontations with CCA over money. With the state willing to consider private proposals, CCA said it would consider bidding again itself -- for a "more viable contract." The state should see CCA's announcement as an opportunity to end seven years of private management of the prison. Nevada's limited experience with private prison management has been dismal. Last year it found that private medical services for inmates at the maximum-security prison in Ely were not cost-efficient, and resumed state care. The Summit View juvenile facility here in Clark County had to be closed for more than a year after a private company's management proved to be inept. Looking to lower its costs, CCA last month proposed a dubious deal. It wanted the state to take over health care at the women's prison; in exchange, it would lower its per-inmate fee. The Legislative Interim Finance Committee balked, fearing taxpayers would get the short end. The women's prison also has had management problems, including a guard caught smuggling heroin into the facility and another guard whose relationship with an inmate resulted in the inmate's pregnancy. In 2001 the Justice Department studied the current trend toward privatization of prisons, which began in the early 1980s. It discovered that privatization's most appealing aspect -- projected savings of 20 percent -- never materialized. The actual savings was about 1 percent, achieved through lower labor costs. The study also found that privately run prisons have not produced any innovations. "No evidence was found to show that the existence of private prisons will have a dramatic effect on how nonprivate prisons operate," the study concluded. The state should drop all talk of seeking private proposals and start preparing to run the prison itself come Oct. 1. (Las Vegas Sun)

February 25, 2004
The company running the state's only privately run prison will not renew its contract because of mounting financial losses. Corrections Corporation of America, which has operated the Southern Nevada Women's Correctional Facility since it opened in North Las Vegas in 1997, notified the Nevada Department of Corrections last week that it would not renew the contract when it expires in October. "It's just not workable for us. ... We're losing money," CCA spokesman Steve Owen said. Owen has said the Tennessee-based company was losing more than $1 million a year running the prison, which houses about 450 inmates. Department of Corrections Director Jackie Crawford said rising health care costs for female inmates were mainly to blame. "They're not a charity operation," she said. "They have a profit margin to make." Under the contract, the state pays CCA $47.79 a day per inmate. A scheduled 3 percent increase in July would bring the daily rate to $49.23. Last month, the Department of Corrections went to the Legislature with a proposal to take over health care at the prison. Under the proposal, the state would have paid CCA $14.71 less a day per inmate. The Legislature's Interim Finance Committee created a subcommittee to scrutinize the proposal but had not made a decision when CCA announced its intentions. "It became evident there was no solution," Owen said. The state will begin accepting bids from companies to take over prison operations. Crawford did not speculate on what those bids might be, but she said the average nationwide cost for running medium-security women's prisons is more than $75 a day per inmate. The state could also take over operations at the prison for about $60 a day per inmate, she said. CCA might rebid depending on the state's requirements, Owen said. Any new contract would require comparable pay between private corrections officers and state officers, who make about $13 an hour, Crawford said. She hopes to have bids in by early summer so she can make a decision. "We want to get the best for the state of Nevada," she said. CCA has recently found itself in hot water after one of its former guards impregnated an inmate. The inmate, Korinda Martin, gave birth to a son Jan. 12. DNA tests confirmed that the boy's father was Randy Easter, a former guard for CCA. Martin has sued CCA and the Department of Corrections seeking custody of her child, who was being cared for by Martin's mother. The state attorney general's office was reviewing the case for possible criminal charges. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

February 4, 2004
An investigation and DNA testing have identified former prison guard Randy Easter as the father of a baby boy born to Nevada prison inmate Korinda Martin on Jan. 12, a state Department of Prisons official said Tuesday. Assistant Director Glen Whorton added the department’s inspector general has turned over its information on the case to the state attorney general’s office for review. Criminal charges could be brought against Martin and Easter for violating a law that prohibits sex in the prisons. The law says a prisoner who voluntarily engages in sexual conduct with another person is guilty of a felony. So is anyone else who has sex with a prisoner. Martin said she was impregnated by Easter at the women’s prison in North Las Vegas. The prison is run by Corrections Corp. of America. The baby was born after Martin was transferred from the prison system’s regional medical center in Carson City to Carson-Tahoe Hospital. In a lawsuit she filed, Martin named Easter as the father and sued him, Corrections Corp. of America, the Department of Corrections and Gov. Kenny Guinn. (Reno Gazette-Journal)

January 31, 2004
The private company that has a state contract to run the women's prison in North Las Vegas wants to jettison the expensive part of its job. The Corrections Corporation of America has asked the state to take over medical care of the inmates at the 550-bed prison. In exchange, it has proposed that its per-inmate rate of pay be lowered by $14 -- from $47 a day to $33. This sounds like a fabulous deal -- for the private company. Even Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, a supporter of privatization, seemed to be thinking the same thing when he blocked the offer this week after it came before the Legislative Interim Finance Committee. Intuition alone tells us that $14 a day per inmate -- $7,700 a day if the prison was full -- would not likely cover the medical costs the state would be assuming. Just one major medical procedure, let alone the actual number that might occur every day among more than 500 inmates, could top that amount. Although a CCA representative said the deal would be a "wash," the committee was right to order a thorough financial analysis of the proposal -- even though there is an urgent aspect to this issue. Dr. Ted D'Amico, medical director for the state's prison system, was not considering finances when he urged the committee to approve the proposal. His issue was the quality of care the women are receiving. The care is "not up to standard," he said, adding that "it's dangerous to wait." In our view, this statement alone should be enough for the state to end its experiment with privatization of vital services. The profit motive, so productive in private industry, is simply not compatible with the mission of government, which is to provide efficient, quality service in all of its areas of responsibility. The state should cancel its contract with this private company and assume its proper role in running the prison. (Las Vegas Sun)

January 30, 2004
Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, on Wednesday blocked a state takeover of the medical care of female inmates at the state's women's prison in North Las Vegas because, he said, he wanted to make sure the state didn't shortchange taxpayers. Raggio convinced other members of the Legislative Interim Finance Committee to appoint a subcommittee to determine how much it will cost the state to assume responsibility for the health of the inmates. The Corrections Corporation of America runs the prison under contract with the state and is paid $47 per day per inmate in the 550-bed prison. Under the proposal, CCA would reduce its per diem rate by $14 with the state taking over health care. Raggio said the fiscal staff of the Legislature believes it is going to cost the state more than $14 per prisoner per day. Dr. Ted D'Amico, medical director for the prison system, urged the committee to approve the contract revision. He said the medical care at the North Las Vegas prison was "not up to standard." He said his state staff has "better capability" than CCA. "It is dangerous to wait," he said. The takeover was scheduled for March 1. Raggio said he wanted more time to study the deal. He said CCA was getting rid of the troublesome program and keeping the easier one -- security at the prison. But John Tighe, vice president for health care of CCA, said security "is not easy." (Sun Capital Bureau)

January 30, 2004
A Corrections Corporation of America spokesman said Thursday his company will lose more than $1 million this year running the state women's prison, but wants to continue if a way can be found to stem the losses. Company spokesman Steve Owen said CCA's contract to operate the Southern Nevada Women's Correctional Facility ends Oct. 16. But the company will make a bid to continue operating the prison "if a remedy can be found." "Our intention is to run the institution if we can find a solution that is mutually acceptable," he said. Owen said he wanted to clarify remarks made at the Wednesday meeting of the Legislature's Interim Finance Committee meeting. During that meeting, CCA Vice President Tony Grande and Department of Corrections Medical Director Ted D'Amico pleaded for the Legislature's Interim Finance Committee to let the state take over medical care for the prison's 452 inmates March 1. Instead of receiving $47.79 per day for caring for each inmate, CCA would be paid $33.08 per day. That would be a difference of $14.71 a day per inmate. D'Amico said the return of that money would more than cover the state's costs for providing medical care for inmates. He said the state incurs an average $7.38 per day per inmate cost to provide care at the state prisons it operates. A decision on whether to have the state assume medical duties at the prison will not be made before March. A subcommittee chaired by Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, has been appointed to look at CCA's financial situation. Owen said legislators may have been left with the false impression that CCA initiated the move to have the state provide medical care for the inmates in the North Las Vegas prison. The Nashville, Tenn.-based company has operated the prison since 1997. "The state suggested (it take over) medical care," Owen said. "We were seeking help from the state on how we were going to address the issue (of losses). There was no ultimatum from us. If it doesn't work out, there might be another way." Greg Bortolin, spokesman for Gov. Kenny Guinn, acknowledged Thursday that the state was behind the move to have the Corrections Department take over medical care at the prison. He added Guinn's concern is ensuring inmates receive proper medical care. "Privatization is a big deal, but in this case we can do better than the private sector," he said. "The health care of our inmates is our responsibility, regardless of the politics." Bortolin said privatization has worked in other cases, namely the move by Guinn and the Legislature to have private companies provide workers compensation insurance. "For workers compensation, it worked beautifully," he said. "It needs to be looked at on a case-by-case basis." (Las Vegas Review Journal)

January 29, 2004
A legislative panel delayed action Wednesday on a plan to have the state take over medical care of inmates at a women's prison in North Las Vegas. Instead, the lawmakers'Interim Finance Committee formed a subcommittee to meet with officials from Corrections Corporation of America and the Department of Corrections to discuss the state's proposed takeover of the medical care from CCA. Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, pressed for the delay, despite a plea from Dr. Ted D'Amico, medical director for the Department of Corrections, to approve a shift in medical care by March 1. The subcommittee will report back to IFC in March. The state has been paying CCA, which operates the women's prison, $47.79 per day per inmate. The prison currently has 452 inmates. Under the proposed contract change, the cost would drop to $33.08 per day, with the state assuming the medical care. D'Amico said the difference in payments would more than cover the state's costs for providing medical and mental health care for the inmates. He also said the women inmates at the North Las Vegas prison get substandard care and could sue if the care doesn't improve. CCA officials said they wanted out of the prison contract unless the state takes over the medical care because they've been losing money running the women's prison. (AP)

January 10, 2004
A Nevada inmate who claims a prison guard impregnated her wants a federal judge to prevent officials from removing the child from her custody after its birth later this month. Korinda Martin, 24, filed a federal lawsuit last month in Las Vegas against Randy Easter, whom she has identified as the father of her unborn child; the state Department of Corrections; and the Corrections Corporation of America, which operates the Southern Nevada Women's Correctional Facility in North Las Vegas. Martin, who served as an informant in the Kirstin Lobato murder case, claims in her lawsuit that Easter began having sex with her in 2003 at the women's prison. The document alleges that Martin "could not resist the sexual demands of Randy Easter due to the inherent power and control prison guards have over prisoners in a prison environment." It also alleges that Easter infected Martin with genital herpes. (Review-Journal)

January 9, 2004
A Nevada inmate who became pregnant at a women's prison in North Las Vegas has sued a guard who allegedly impregnated her, the state Corrections Department, Gov. Kenny Guinn and Correction Corp. of America which runs the prison. The U.S. District Court suit filed by Korina Martin, due to deliver her baby in late January, names Randy Easter as the father. Easter was fired from the prison after the pregnancy was discovered. According to the lawsuit, filed by Las Vegas attorney Scott Olifant, sex between Martin and Easter took place at the Southern Nevada Women's Correctional Facility. The state pays CCA to run the prison. The suit says guards hired by that company are less qualified and get less training than guards at state prisons, and the lack of training led to violations of Martin's constitutional rights. Howard Skolnik, assistant director of the department of corrections who oversees the women's prison, said Thursday training for guards at the women's prison equals that of guards at the state prisons, except for firearms instruction. Besides asking for unspecified general, special and special damages, the suit also seeks to require the state to provide medical care to Martin and her child until the youngster is 18 years old. The suit also calls for an injunction to prevent the prison from removing the baby from Martin when it is born. The state has a policy of separating a newborn child from an incarcerated mother soon after birth, Olifant said. "We are not equipped to keep infants in the institution," Skolnik said. "We can't raise children in prison." After the pregnancy was discovered, Martin was transferred to a prison in Carson City where she now confined. Prison officials said a DNA test will be conducted when the baby is born to determine the father, and criminal charges may be filed because it's a felony for a prison staffer to have sex with an inmate. Easter couldn't be reached immediately for comment. Donna Nolan, a spokeswoman for Corrections Corporation of America, said the company had no comment on the matter. Attorney General Brian Sandoval's office is representing the prison department and Guinn. A spokesman for Sandoval said the lawsuit will be opposed and the state would soon file an answer. Martin was convicted of robbery and coercion in Clark County and was sentenced in September 2001 to two to 10 years for robbery and consecutive one to four for coercion. (AP)

September 19, 2003
A yearlong drug smuggling operation at the Southern Nevada Women's Prison in North Las Vegas has been broken up with the arrest of a guard and another woman, the state Department of Public Safety said Wednesday. The department said it arrested Constance Edwards, 33, a correctional officer at the prison, as she was trying to bring two balloons of heroin into the center, which is managed by the private Corrections Corp. of America. This was the second time in recent months a corrections officer at the prison has been under suspicion. A female prison inmate became pregnant during the summer and identified a corrections officer as the father. The case is still under investigation and no charges have been filed. The staff member resigned. In the drug smuggling case, Corrections Corp. officials notified the state Department of Corrections, which began looking into the allegation with the state Division of Investigations a month ago. The department said inmate Valerie Moore was receiving heroin and cocaine from Edwards, who was getting the drugs from former inmate Karen Matthews. According to investigators, Matthews arranged to supply the drugs to Edwards, who would then get them into the prison and provide them to Moore. Howard Skolnik, assistant director of the state Department of Corrections, said the investigation is continuing whether Moore distributed the drugs to other inmates. The department said Edwards, a prison employee for about two years, received between $50 and $200 per delivery and she was involved in the operation for a year. After the arrest, investigators gained a search warrant for the home of Matthews, who also used the name Karen Davis, on Jennydiane Drive near Lamb Boulevard and Vegas Valley Drive, and they said they discovered evidence of the conspiracy. Edwards and Matthews were charged with introducing a controlled substance into a correctional center and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. Edwards was also charged with possession of a controlled substance. Moore will face disciplinary charges at the prison for her alleged part in the operation. Moore, 44, is serving a life term with the possibility of parole for a conviction of second-degree murder. She has been in prison since June 1996 and is eligible for parole in June 2005. Lt. Matthew Alberto of the state Investigations Division is continuing to try to determine whether other people in the prison were involved in the smuggling. So far, he said, there is no evidence that money was paid by inmates inside the prison to finance the drug trafficking. He said Matthews "had another source of income to purchase the drugs for the prison and for herself." Matthews has an extensive criminal background and was a cellmate of Moore before Matthews was released. Alberto said Matthews was in prison the last time for a drug offense. Evidence seized at Matthews' residence included drug paraphernalia and documents showing when the correctional officer got paid, Alberto said. Skolnik said this was the first case in a number of years of a correctional officer in Southern Nevada being arrested for smuggling drugs into the prison. He said there have been more of these incidents in Northern Nevada than in Clark County. (Las Vegas Sun)

September 4, 2003
No more pregnancies were discovered among 535 female inmates in the state prison who were tested for pregnancy after one convict reported that a prison employee impregnated her, the state Department of Corrections announced Tuesday. The inspector general's office is continuing its investigation of possible sex between prisoners and staff throughout the system. The testing began after an inmate at the women's prison in North Las Vegas was found to be pregnant and she identified a correctional officer as the father. The inmate, whose baby is due in January, was moved to the prison medical center in Carson City. DNA testing will be done after the birth to determine who the father is. The prison is operated by Corrections Corp. of America, a private company under contract with the state. Howard Skolnik, assistant director of the department, said Corrections Corp. fully cooperated in the testing. Sex between an inmate and a staff member is a felony. The staff member accused of having sex with the inmate at the North Las Vegas prison has resigned. About 750 women prisoners were given blood tests; those of child-bearing age who had not had hysterectomies were tested. Scott Olifant, the attorney for the inmate who became pregnant, could not be reached for comment Tuesday. He has said that a lawsuit will be filed. The inmate pregnancy was the first in the state since 1975, Skolnik said. (Las Vegas Sun)

January 30, 2003
A new inmate transitional center, a programming division and staff cuts were outlined Wednesday as lawmakers reviewed the Nevada Department of Correction's $431 million budget. One of those shifts coincides with the opening of the Casa Grande transitional center in Las Vegas. The facility, being constructed and operated by a not-for-profit organization, would open this fall with 200 beds. Guinn budgeted more than $2 million to pay for the contract. Another issue is the possible expiration of a state contract with Corrections Corporation of America to run the Southern Nevada Women's Correctional Center. Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, asked what would happen if the company declined to renew its contract in the fall of 2004. "We are very capable of moving in and taking over that facility immediately," Crawford responded. (AP)

September 30, 2002
The Southern Nevada Women's Prison has been run by Corrections Corp. of America since opening in 1997. But now the state, hoping to save money, is looking for a better deal. Darrel J. Rexwinkel, deputy director in charge of finances for the Department of Corrections, said the state now pays $46.60 a day per inmate but wants a lower rate. Renny Ashleman, an attorney for Corrections Corp., has said his company has lost money on the current deal - but intends to submit a new bid. The women's prison is the only full-service prison operated by a private company in Nevada. The contract for Corrections Corporation expires in October 2004. (AP)

January 2, 2002
Financial trouble has developed at the Southern Nevada Women's Correctional Facility, which is run by a private company whose contract doesn't expire until 2004. The state Department of Corrections has a three-year contract with Corrections Corporation of America, which says it's losing money on the prison in North Las Vegas that houses more than 500 inmates. Renny Ashleman, a Las Vegas lawyer representing CCA, said CCA welcomes the state's move to look for additional operators, as it will probably confirm that it costs more to run the prison than the state is now paying. News accounts say CCA may have lost about $1.5 million on medical treatment alone. The state had a lease-option to buy the prison after 20 years, but it purchased the center in August for $24.1 million. Because of IRS rules, the CCA contract had to be trimmed after the purchase from 20 years to three years, with an automatic renewal if both sides agree. (AP)

Summit View Youth Correctional Facility
Las Vegas, Nevada
Correctional Services Corporation
January 27, 2004
A youth corrections facility where inmates staged a rooftop revolt two years ago when the place was privately run was expected to reopen today under state control, officials said. Summit View Youth Correctional Center closed in March 2002 after numerous complaints about suicide attempts, escapes, unchecked drug use and sexual and physical abuse of inmates by guards. Those problems came to light after 20 inmates, fed up with the prison conditions, took to the rooftop of the facility and had a 90-minute standoff with police. Now under the control of the state, Summit View will become a place where the young prisoners can be properly rehabilitated because the facility has better staff that is prepared to deal with their charges, newly appointed Summit View Superintendent Robert McLellan said. (Las Vegas Sun)

January 23, 2004
Pizza parties. Movie nights. Staff who smoke weed with inmates and ignore tips about riots. And blow jobs. Blow jobs! What disrespecting, young male scofflaw wouldn't beat down a warden's door to serve time in this teenage Club Fed? Juxtaposed against Summit View Youth Correctional Center's ascetic veneer—a fortress of steel and thick brick circled by barbed wire; to the north lies restricted Nellis Air Force Base land—is the reality of its past: Inmates, with the help of complicit staff, ran the asylum. And not just any inmates—Nevada's most violent and dangerous male juveniles. Three years ago, 19 of them led a rooftop uprising that trained global attention on the privately-run, 96-bed facility in a cul-de-sac in a desert patch of northeast North Las Vegas. Months of feverish work by state officials to close wide-ranging gaps in Youth Services International's program, from tracking allegations of mistreatment to escape procedures to staff training, the Florida-based company opted out of its $4.3 million annual contract in September 2001, closing the facility and displacing an already hard-to-place population. Two months later, before District Judge Joseph Bonaventure, Gloria Kim—one of two female employees given probation for performing oral sex on inmates—explained why so much went unchecked at Summit View: "It was poorly run." On Monday, the prison is slated to reopen. This time, under state rule (all state juvenile correctional centers are under the auspices of the state Department of Human Resources' Division of Child and Family Services). At the helm will be Superintendent Robert McLellan, tapped from the Montana Department of Corrections, who's indicated he'll not use the past as a guide. He neither knows much about the riots and oral sex, nor does he care. "I'm not familiar with what occurred down to the details," says McLellan. Prior to becoming assistant superintendent at the Pine Hills Youth Correctional Facility in Miles City, Montana, he worked in enforcement. "This is an entire new operation. It'll be completely different." The first 24 inmates are scheduled to arrive on Monday, with the facility expected to be fully operational, all 96 beds filled and 86 staffers hired, by year's end. Big Difference No. 1 between YSI and McLellan: Under YSI, employees routinely took on assignments without being properly trained. McLellan's workforce will undergo 160 to 170 hours of instruction set to American Correctional Association Standards. "You absolutely have to screen and hire the best staff to supervise the youth." Big Difference No. 2: Inmates' entire days will be structured, from wake-up to bedtime, chow time to exercise—the facility's central portion has soccer fields, volleyball and basketball courts and a gym. Also in place will be a "cognitive behavioral restructuring model." It delineates levels of behavior and rewards inmates for obeying rules. Via the Clark County School District, inmates can take continuing education courses, vocational and GED classes or, McLellan says, sign up for life-skills programs. McLellan is in the process of identifying the inmates; there's no plan to accept youth from other states. The typical stay will range from nine to 12 months. Given the caliber of his future clientele—chronic offenders (they've committed large number of crimes), serious offenders convicted of assault, weapons and drug-related crimes) and parole violators—McLellan doesn't expect a trouble-free ride. "Every juvenile facility has the potential to have problems. We have already planned for a variety of things," he notes, neglecting to say if that includes weed-smoking parties between inmates and staff and the occasional act of oral sex meant to deflate an unruly prisoner. "We're prepared for problems if they do happen." (Scope mag.com)

January 5, 2004
After being closed for nearly two years, the state-owned Summit View male juvenile detention center in North Las Vegas will be reopened Jan. 26 and will take in 24 boys the first week. "We intend to keep (the inmates) engaged and busy," newly hired superintendent Robert W. McLellan said. "There will be little unstructured time." From 6:15 a.m. until lights-out at 10 p.m. there will be schooling and a variety of programs with only a minimum of free time, he said. Classes at the facility will begin Jan. 29. The $14 million, 96-bed center originally opened in June 2000 with Correctional Services Corp. hired by the state to operate the facility. But there were problems, including escapes and sex between female staff and inmates. The private company pulled out of the contract in January 2002, complaining it could not make money. Except for a maintenance staff, Summit View has been vacant since March 2002. The 2003 Legislature approved the recommendation of Gov. Kenny Guinn that Summit View should be run by the state, rather than a private company. State Human Resources Director Mike Willden said the first group of inmates will come from county juvenile facilities, mostly in Clark County. He said Nevada delinquents placed in out-of-state facilities would not be brought back immediately unless their treatment programs are completed. McLellan, who comes from Montana, has hired Audrey Fetters from Washington state as his assistant superintendent. McLellan is a former chief of police in two cities in Montana, a deputy sheriff in Colorado and was deputy director of care and custody of Pine Hills Youth Correction Facility in Miles City, Mont., before taking the Nevada job. Before coming to Nevada, Fetters was juvenile court administrator and administrator of the juvenile detention center in Yakima, Wash. She has a background in clinical social work. The typical length of stay for a juvenile at the facility is expected to be nine to 12 months, though chronic offenders may stay longer, McLellan said. Inmates can be held at the facility until they turn 20. The center has an authorized staff of 85 and McLellan said he will have 44 on board when it opens next month. The staff will be augmented as more youths are accepted. Willden said he intends to follow the guidelines of the American Corrections Association, which call for one staff member for every eight inmates during the day and a 1-16 ratio at night. The Clark County School District will provide the schooling. Willden said the state has hired nurses, mental health counselors, security staff, cooks and others. Reveille is planned for 6:15 a.m. for the inmates, who will do calisthenics, shower and clean their individual rooms before going to breakfast. School starts at 8:50 a.m. and goes until 11:30 a.m. when there is a break for lunch. The boys are back in class from 12:30 to 3:10 p.m. After school there will be group sessions aimed at changing the behavior of the inmates and recreation. McLellan said there will be at least an hour of "large muscle exercise" that will include such sports as football and soccer. The inmates will use a gymnasium that has never been used. It was completed after the private company pulled out and the center was put in mothballs. There will be a new soccer field and weight room, Willden said. After dinner the boys will have one to two hours of leisure time to write letters, work on their school courses or do other activities. There will also be mental health counseling. A "wrap-up" session will follow to allow inmates to talk about the day's activities. At 7 p.m. there are more group sessions for counseling on drug, alcohol and health problems. And at 9 p.m. the juveniles are put in their rooms and the lights are turned out at 10 p.m. Willden said the inmates will be serious offenders, many of whom "flunked out of Elko and Caliente," the other two state-operated training centers for delinquents. Willden said Summit View "gives us another tool" in the placement of youngsters but the state may still contract with private companies for some. After closure in 2002, the state sent the youths to Rite of Passage in Northern Nevada or to a facility in Tennessee. "This is high security -- high fences and razor wire. And there will be lockdown," he said. Willden said he doesn't want to see the security lapses that plagued the center when a private company operated it. The facility is scheduled to be in full operation by August 2004. Its budget for next fiscal year is $5.2 million. (Sun Capital Bureau)

February 3, 2003
Sex, violence, tough teenage boys and the state budget don't always link together, except when the subject is the mothballed Summit View Youth Correctional Center in North Las Vegas . In a decision that puts him at odds with Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, Gov. Kenny Guinn wants to reopen the facility. And Guinn wants the state to run it, as opposed to a private contractor. He'll likely face opposition from Raggio and Sen. Barbara Cegavske, R-Las Vegas, both advocates of privatizing prisons who serve on the Senate Finance Committee. Built by the state for $14 million, it was operated by Florida-based Youth Services International. But there were troubles, including an uprising in June 2001 which caused about $12,000 worth of damage. And two female guards were sentenced in November 2001 on charges that included allegations they performed oral sex on teenage boys in their custody. In December 2001, Summit View was closed. (Review Journal)

January 24, 2003
A former inmate at the Summit View Youth Correctional Center filed a civil rights lawsuit Thursday that claims a female guard used him "as a sex slave" while he was imprisoned at the North Las Vegas facility. According to the lawsuit, corrections officer Jennifer Burkley subjected inmate Ryan Layman to repeated sexual assaults between November 2000 and January 2001. Burkley and another former Summit View guard later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in sexual relations with a prisoner, a gross misdemeanor. Both women were sentenced in November 2001 to two years of probation for their crimes, which involved allegations that they performed oral sex on incarcerated teens. "It was wrong," Burkley said at her sentencing hearing. "It never should have happened." Summit View opened in June 2000 with 96 beds but never reached capacity, causing financial problems for Florida-based Youth Services International, which operated the prison. The state-built facility was closed in early 2002 after the company decided to end its $4.3 million annual contract with Nevada two years early. Layman's lawsuit, filed on his behalf by attorney John Spilotro in U.S. District Court, names both Burkley and Youth Services International as defendants. It also names the state Department of Human Resources and the state Division of Child and Family Services. The lawsuit seeks more than $3 million in damages. (Review-Journal)

December 5, 2002
Gov. Kenny Guinn wants to reopen Summit View Youth Correctional Center, the prison for serious juvenile offenders in North Las Vegas, with the state -- instead of a private company -- running it. Guinn said Tuesday he would include money in his next budget to reopen the 96-bed center in July. From the time Summit View opened in 2000 to its closure on Jan. 31, 2002, it was run by Correctional Services Corp. But that private contractor pulled out, complaining that the state never put enough inmates in the facility to enable it to make a profit. The state had paid Correctional Services $122 per day per inmate. Guinn and state Human Resources Director Mike Willden said the state can operate the center at a rate competitive with private companies and would provide better accountability. A state-run center would be a stable work environment for employees, who must be trained to handle violent youth, gang members and drug offenders, state officials said. A number of problems were documented when Correctional Services ran the center, including escapes and sexual contact between female staff members and male inmates. There also were allegations that Correctional Services didn't hire qualified guards and didn't pay adequate wages, Willden said. After Correctional Services announced it would pull out, Guinn and Willden proposed the state reopen the facility. They estimated the state could run the center for $155 per day per inmate. But the Legislative Interim Finance Committee nixed that plan and told the administration to find a private contractor. In the meantime, the inmates were placed in other facilities at a cost of $113 to $126 a day. Bids were solicited and Securicor New Century of Richmond, Va., was selected as the operator. But before a contract could be signed, the state's budget crisis worsened. Instead of going with Securicor, the state decided to ship the inmates to other places. Willden said the bids from the two private companies that sought the contract ranged from $149 to $160 per day for each inmate. Guinn suggested the state's initial $155 per inmate estimate could be knocked down to $145 or $150. (Las Vegas SUN)

August 19, 2002
The director of the state Department of Human Resources says he wasn't aware of allegations that a Georgia company that wants to operate the Summit View detention center may have had past problems in running similar youth programs in Florida. But that doesn't mean the company will lose the contract, said Mike Willden, whose department oversees Summit View near North Las Vegas. Willden said Monday that an evaluation committee in the state Purchasing Division, not his department, issued the "intent to award" the contract to Securicor New Century. Willden said he intends to meet this week with the evaluation committee to talk about the allegations. He said, however, he doesn't know if this will change the decision to go forward with negotiations with Securicor. The real issues, Willden said, are whether the problem at three youth centers in Florida were "pervasive and continuing" and if there were no efforts to correct the deficiencies. Willden said every company that runs detention centers for hard-core juveniles has problems of "uprisings, runaways and improper relations" between staff and the inmates. Ernie Adler, attorney for Rite of Passage of Minden, which came in second in the bidding for the state contract, said the company would file an appeal in the next week. Adler said many of the problems that occurred in Florida were similar to the ones Summit View had when it was operated by Correctional Services Corp., which ended its contract in January. The $14 million Summit View, with 96 beds for serious male juvenile offenders, opened in 2000 and closed on Jan. 31. Rite of Passage President Lawrence Howell also complained that the company's parent is based in Great Britain. William Florence, president of Diversified Business Vision of Las Vegas, a third company that submitted a bid, said Monday he was also concerned how the bid was awarded. State Purchasing Officer Colleen Janes could not be reached for comment on whether the evaluation team knew about the past problems of Securicor, which runs three centers in Florida for the state. Securicor President Gail Browne said there has been one escape in the past year. That came at a center where the least restrictive inmates are allowed to go into the nearby town. She said in the three years Securicor has been operating in Florida, there have been two incidents of improper sexual relationships between staff and an inmate. In one case the employee was fired within 24 hours and in the second, the worker quit, Browne said. (The Las Vegas Sun)

August 1, 2002
The former juvenile detention center that housed Nevada's most violent juvenile offenders could reopen within five months. State officials are evaluating proposals from Securicor New Century of Richmond, Va., and Rite of Passage of Minden to operate the 96-bed Summit View juvenile center in North Las Vegas. They hope to select one company next week and open the facility Jan. 1. "We've learned a number of lessons and we'll be more careful in our contract monitoring," said State Human Resources Director Mike Willden. "We have a burden on the system and we need to open the facility." Summit View has been collecting dust since January. The state-built facility opened in June 2000 but never reached capacity, causing financial problems for Florida-based Youth Services International, which decided to end its $4.3 million annual contract with the state two years early. In June 2001, an inmate uprising caused more than $12,000 in damage. The facility suffered more problems when an investigation was launched into allegations of sexual misconduct by staff. Two former youth prison guards were sentenced to probation for having sexual relations with teenagers they were paid to supervise. Willden and Gov. Kenny Guinn had hoped the state would run the facility. But the Legislative Interim Finance Committee declined the plan because it came at a price of $155 a day per juvenile and officials didn't want the long-term expenses associated with running a prison, Willden said. "You get what you pay for," he said. "We've tried to encourage the new bidders to look at that issue and be prepared to pay a higher salary and get competent employees." (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

June 20, 2002
Nevada is looking again at leasing the mothballed state prison at Jean. The state also has narrowed the list of private bidders to reopen the Summit View juvenile detention center in southern Nevada from three to two. The $14 million center is a 96-bed facility for serious male juvenile offenders. It opened in 2000 and was run under contract by Correctional Services Corp. But after a number of problems, including attempted escapes and sexual contact between female staff and inmates, the private company ended its contract, saying it was losing money. The facility closed earlier this year. (Las Vegas Sun)

January 28, 2002
The state's privately operated prison for juvenile offenders will close Thursday, with the two dozen remaining inmates ready to be paroled or relocated to one of two other facilities, a state official said last week. Closure of the Summit View Youth Correctional Center on Range Road north of Las Vegas was made necessary when Florida-based Youth Services International decided to end its $4.3 million annual contract with the state two years early. The company, saying it could not operate the facility profitably, decided to walk away after giving several month's notice to the state. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

December 11, 2001
Some of the 37 male inmates at the state's privately run youth prison will be released on parole, and others probably will be transferred to a facility in Texas when the correctional center in Clark County closes Jan. 31, a state official said Monday. Closure of the Summit View Youth Correctional Center north of Las Vegas was made necessary when Florida-based Youth Services International decided to end its $4.3 million annual contract with the state two years early. In June, 20 inmates climbed onto a Summit View rooftop and had an hours-long standoff with police on the first anniversary of the prison's opening. Smith said the state will use an existing contract with another company, Corrections Corporation of America, to house some of the offenders, aged 13 to 18, in the company's Texas facility. (The Las Vegas Review-Journal)

November 26, 2001
Lawmakers balked Monday at a Guinn administration plan to have the state take over Nevada's first privately run youth prison, where inmates took over a rooftop last summer. The state Child and Family Services Division wanted a go-ahead from the Legislature's Interim Finance Committee to run the Summit View Youth Correctional Center, but failed to get a majority of either the Assembly or Senate members of the panel. The state decided to take over Summit View, subject to IFC approval, after Florida-based YSI recently decided to end its $4.3 million annual contract two years early. Last summer, 20 inmates climbed onto a Summit View rooftop and had an hours-long standoff with police - on the first anniversary of the prison's opening. The inmates caused more than $12,000 in damage before giving up. In August, two former employees were arrested on charges of having sex with two inmates, ages 17 and 18. The women pleaded guilty and will likely receive probation when they are sentenced next month, prosecutors said. (AP)

October 11, 2001
Gov. Kenny Guinn says plans for the state to operate the troubled Summit View Youth Correction Center in North Las Vegas are moving ahead. But Guinn said the center's current private operator, Youth Services International, will first have to make some repairs before it pulls out. "They've got to clean up the place and leave it like it was," Guinn said. "It has not been taken care of." YSI in September gave six months' notice that it was pulling out of the operation, which has had a number of problems. (AP)

September 24, 2001
The private company that operates the youth prison where inmates took over a rooftop in June is pulling out of its contract with the state - two years before it expires. Youth Services International, which operates Summit View Youth Correctional center, notified the state earlier this month that it wants out of its $4.3 million annual contract. YSI officials said the company is pulling out of Nevada because the prison never reached 95 percent capacity and administrators had trouble hiring staff in Las Vegas' highly competitive market. The facility's problems were revealed after 20 inmates escaped onto a rooftop and had an hours-long standoff with police on the first anniversary of the prison's opening. In August, two former employees were arrested on charges of having sex with two inmates, age 17 and 18. The women pleaded guilty and will likely receive probation when they are sentenced next month, prosecutors said. The company pulled out of a similar contract in Florida after problems surfaced and has been under fire in Maryland after a state audit found problems at two YSI facilities there. (AP)

August 30, 2001
Two former youth correctional workers, both women, are charged with having sexual relations with teen-age male inmates under their watch at a Las Vegas detention center. Jennifer Burkley, 22, and Gloria Kim, 24, threatened sanctions against the inmates, ages 17 and 18, at Summit View Correctional Center if the teens did not comply with their sexual advances, Las Vegas police SGT. Ron Williams said. Burkley and Kim worked as counselors and guards at the maximum security facility, he said. Burkley is charged with having oral sex with one of the two teens on three occasions between November and December 2000, according to a complaint filed in North Las Vegas Justice Court. She had the same inmate fondle her breasts, and she touched the genitals and buttocks of another inmate through his clothing, the complaint said. Kim is charged with having oral sex with the inmate Burkley is accused of fondling. Kim's encounter with the inmate occurred between August and September 2000, according to the complaint. Summit View, on Range Road near Nellis Air Force Base, holds some of the state's most violent offenders between the ages of 13 and 18. On June 1, the facility was the site of a small riot when 19 inmates stormed the rooftop and stayed fro several hours in 110-degree heat. Authorities called the incident a foiled escape attempt. In June 2000, the company hired a former Clark County probation officer who was awaiting trial on six felony counts of having sex with a juvenile. A background check failed to disclose his history because he had not been convicted of the charges, and two county agencies failed to inform Summit View of Tommie Burse's history when contacted. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

June 26, 2001
Two teen-agers accused of trying to escape during a detention center disturbance have agreed to plea bargains. They were among 20 teen inmates accused of climbing onto the roof of the state-owned and privately run Summit View Youth Correctional Center on June 1. (AP)

June 13, 2001
A day before an uprising at the Summit View Youth Correctional Center, an inmate warned a staff member at the juvenile prison that a disturbance was imminent, according to the accounts of a prison employee and an inmate. An inmate's warning to a prison employee was noted in a log book, but no preventive measures were taken, according to a prison staff member who spoke to the Review-Journal on condition of anonymity. "They basically just turned their back on it," the staff member said. On June 1, the morning after the staffer says the warning was issued, 19 boys at the prison stormed a rooftop in what authorities are labeling a foiled escape attempt. According to Las Vegas police Sgt. Dan McGrath, when police investigated the uprising, an inmate at Summit View told a story similar to the one relayed by the staffer: that an inmate had warned a Summit View staff member of the plan. Last week, Las Vegas police said they were investigating an allegation of sexual contact between an inmate and a staff member at the facility. On Tuesday, police Lt. Tom Monahan confirmed that police are investigating two separate sex-related allegations involving staff members at Summit View. The state-funded, privately operated, maximum-security prison for boys ages 13 to 18 has come under scrutiny before. In June 2000, it was publicly disclosed that the private company contracted to run Summit View -- Youth Services International -- hired a former Clark County probation officer while the officer was awaiting trial on six felony counts of having sex with a juvenile he was supervising. "The company settles a lot of cases for immaterial amounts each year," Correctional Services' Executive Vice President Ira Cotler told the Herald- Tribune. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

June 02, 2001
The uprising ended peacefully after about three hours, with the last two of about 20 inmates surrendering to authorities on the roof of the facility. Earlier, aerial video footage from a local news helicopter showed about 20 young men on the roof of one building at the facility, some carrying large pieces of wood and metal parts from air conditioning ducts. Police and prison guards surrounded them on the ground in the 104-degree heat. Military police from nearby Nellis Air Force Base were also on the property, aiding local authorities. The 13-acre, 96-bed facility, which opened one year ago today, houses male juvenile offenders aged 13-18. It's the state's first secure juvenile facility, built for chronic offenders, many of whom have been convicted of felonies. The center was paid for by the state of Nevada, but is operated by Youth Services International, a private company based in Sarasota, Fla. (CNN.com)

June 01, 2001
Teen-age inmates surrendered Friday after a disturbance at a maximum security youth correctional facility outside Las Vegas. Some of the inmates took to a rooftop and could be seen brandishing sticks or clubs before the standoff ended without further incident. The uprising by at least 15 teens came on the first anniversary of the opening of the Summit View Youth Correctional Center, a privately managed 96-bed state prison for the most serious teen-age offenders. (FOX News)