n 2007, Nevada’s prison population was projected to grow 61 percent by 2017. High failure rates among people on probation contributed to the growth in prison admissions. Community-based behavioral health treatment was often unavailable or inaccessible for people involved with the criminal justice system. From 2007 to 2008, the CSG Justice Center worked with Nevada state leaders to analyze criminal justice data, interview stakeholders from across the criminal justice system, and develop data-driven policy options designed to reduce corrections spending and increase public safety. Signed into law in 2007 Nevada’s justice reinvestment legislation:

• Increases incentives for people in prison who successfully complete vocational, educational, and substance use treatment programs prior to release;
• Increases incentives for people on probation and parole supervision to comply with supervision; and
• Expands eligibility for alternatives to incarceration.

The state reinvested $6.3 million in the FY2007–2009 biennium to support implementation of the legislation. Nevada’s prison population declined over 3 percent from 2007 to 2012.

• Increasing Public Safety and Generating Savings: Options for Nevada Policymakers (April 15, 2007)

• Presentation: Increasing Public Safety and Generating Savings: Options for Nevada Policymakers (April 17, 2007)