Nevada Sentencing Commission (NSC)

Members
Meetings

About

The Nevada Sentencing Commission was established in 2019 as an independent recommending body housed in the Nevada Department of Sentencing Policy. The Commission had previously existed in the Legislature as a legislative interim committee. The 24-member Commission is comprised of lawmakers, representatives, and stakeholders from all areas of the criminal justice system.

Duties

The Commission has vast statutory duties including:

  • Making data-driven recommendations for sentencing and corrections
  • Evaluating the effectiveness and fiscal impact of sentencing with consideration for certain objectives and goals for sentencing
  • Tracking and assessing the outcomes resulting from the enactment of Assembly Bill No. 236 from the 2019 legislative session

To see the full statutory duties of the Commission, see NRS 176.0134, 176.01343, and 176.01347.

Reports

The Commission is required to prepare and submit 3 reports:

  • Comprehensive report every odd-numbered year by January 15
  • Statement of Costs Avoided every fiscal year by December 1
  • Projected Amount of Costs Avoided each even-numbered year by August 1

JRI Goals

In 2018, Nevada engaged in a Justice Reinvestment Initiative which resulted in the enactment of Assembly Bill No. 236 during the 2019 Legislative Session. The policies that drive JRI and led to AB 236 aim to slow the growth of the prison population, reinvest savings realized from the decreased prison population in programs and treatment that will reduce recidivism, and ensure public safety. The goals of JRI are:

  1. Strengthen responses to behavioral needs of offenders
  2. Focus prison resources on serious and violent offenders
  3. Improve efficiency and effectiveness of community supervision
  4. Minimize barriers to successful reentry
  5. Ensure sustainability of criminal justice reforms