For Governor Brian Sandoval, making Nevada’s juvenile justice system fairer and better equipped to improve the lives of people affected by it was a top priority.
In 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention chose Nevada as one of two states to receive assistance to undertake a comprehensive review of its juvenile justice system, which was carried out under the guidance of The Council of State Governments Justice Center as part of the Improving Outcomes for Youth initiative (IOYouth). With support from Sandoval, the state’s IOYouth efforts culminated in the passage of the 2017 Juvenile Justice System Reform Act.
In keeping with his commitment to system improvement, in August 2017, Sandoval held an event at his residence to meet with formerly incarcerated people and their families and issued an official proclamation of “Face to Face Week,” which began on August 14, 2017.