Dave Maxwell – The Lincoln County Detention Center will soon be losing overflow inmates from Clark County
The Lincoln County Detention Center in Pioche has been informed Clark County is going to be phasing out sending overflow inmates to Lincoln County over the next few months.
Sheriff Kerry Lee said he has been informed of that, even though the Clark County facilities are still facing overcrowding problems. The average daily population there is 4,455 for the 3,868 available beds.
“We’ll keep what we have for now,” he said, “but then there will be a slow draw down for the next three or four months. After that, sending inmates up here may be temporarily or permanently ended.”
Lee said Clark County Commissioners have an initiative to hire full time corrections staff from Las Vegas Metro for the 1,000 bed North Valley Complex for low-risk inmates that opened in December 2011 on Sloan Lane. They are using the money they have been using for overflow contracts (like with Lincoln County), to hire those full-time officers.
He said he feels if that contract is cancelled, it will be devastating economically to the county. Lincoln County gets about $600,000 a year from Clark County for the extra inmates. “It is what fully funds the detention facility and the dispatch. It’s very discouraging,” he said. “We just haven’t been able to get them to change their minds on this.”
The possibility of getting inmates from other places, including federal inmates, has been explored, Lee noted. “We have feelers out there, but right now it doesn’t look very promising, but we’re not giving up.”
