Friday, April 29, 2005 | 9:34 a.m.
CARSON CITY -- A legislative budget committee agreed Thursday to spend an additional $320,000 on the opening of Casa Grande, a new state prison program for paroled inmates to find jobs and get ready to return to society.
Casa Grande, located in Las Vegas, was scheduled to open in October this year, but construction problems delayed that until December. In the budget of Gov. Kenny Guinn, all 400 inmates would arrive at the transitional housing center at one time.
Leslie Johnstone of the fiscal staff of the Legislature, said there was concern about the center opening all at once with the maximum number of prisoners. There would not be time for a "shake down" and to get the program running.
The committee accepted the recommendation that 50 inmates be accepted every two weeks to allow an adjustment.
The inmates are supposed to pay room and board 30 days after they arrive so the delay would cut into the revenue planned by the state.
Sen. Bob Beers, R-Las Vegas, said, "It makes sense to spend the extra money and let it open in phases."
Jackie Crawford, director of the state Department of Corrections, said she hoped the opening of Casa Grande would "encourage more paroles" by the state Parole Board since inmates would have a place to go to transition.
Inmates, while at Casa Grande, would have time to find jobs, housing, get enrolled in mental health or drug treatment programs and take education courses.
The estmated budget for the coming two fiscal years would be $7.5 million with inmates paying about $2.8 million.
The committee also approved the hiring of 22 medical personnel for the Southern Nevada Correctional Center at Jean. This prison was closed in September 2000 but is now being converted to a center for youthful offenders. It is scheduled to re-open in August 2006.
The committee approved the $31.5 million budget for the prison" offender store fund where general merchandise stores and coffee shops are run at the correctional centers.
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