Nevada could reduce recidivism and save more than $4 million per year by fixing a list of problems uncovered in a new audit, including one glitch that keeps many inmates incarcerated well past their parole date because proper housing hasn’t been arranged, the Nevada Independent reports.
The audit, which began in February 2019, found that the state could save an estimated $1.6 million annually by better working with other state agencies and “community partners” to plan for inmate release and supervision once they leave prison. One of the primary issues raised by the audit dealt with the “handoff” of inmates from the prison department to the Division of Parole and Probation — a separate entity — and communication issues that routinely leave prisoners behind bars after they’ve been granted parole. Using weekly data from a three month-span in 2019, auditors discovered that an average of 65 release plans for inmates were routinely deemed nonviable by the parole division, keeping those inmates incarcerated until their situation could be resolved. Additionally, auditors found that an estimated 31 percent of inmates released between January 2018 and August 2019 received no post-release supervision or case management. Of those individuals, an estimated 7 percent were inmates with documented mental health issues.