EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted. Green numbers along left margin indicate location on the printed bill (e.g., 5-15 indicates page 5, line 15).

1-1 Whereas, In January 1995, Richard Kirkland was sworn into office as

1-2 the new Sheriff of Washoe County and thereupon assumed the

1-3 responsibility for the operation of the Washoe County Consolidated Jail;

1-4 and

1-5 Whereas, At the time Sheriff Kirkland began his term of office, the

1-6 management and operation of the Washoe County Consolidated Jail

1-7 reflected a nationwide management philosophy that adopted a soft

1-8 approach to the treatment of criminal offenders based on appeasing inmates

1-9 with high levels of benefits; and

2-1 Whereas, Sheriff Kirkland envisioned a radical departure from the

2-2 flawed national philosophy and quickly undertook to overhaul the system

2-3 of managing the inmates of the Jail; and

2-4 Whereas, Sheriff Kirkland’s bold new philosophy was premised on the

2-5 belief that inmates should be held accountable for their actions, experience

2-6 meaningful punishment and repay their debts to society; and

2-7 Whereas, Sheriff Kirkland enlisted the support of the employees of the

2-8 Jail by outlining the basic approach of the innovative plan and allowing the

2-9 employees to help establish the details and methods for carrying out the

2-10 plan; and

2-11 Whereas, The result of these consolidated efforts on the part of Sheriff

2-12 Kirkland and the employees of the Jail was an Inmate Management Plan,

2-13 the basic premise of which is that inmates should be treated humanely and

2-14 fairly while being held accountable for their actions; and

2-15 Whereas, As part of the Inmate Management Plan, an inmate enters the

2-16 system with the lowest level of benefits and rights that is constitutionally

2-17 permissible such as two visitors per month, no television time, limits on

2-18 time spent outside of the cell per day and consumption of meals in the cell;

2-19 and

2-20 Whereas, The inmate is soon given the option to participate in the Plan

2-21 by voluntarily agreeing to adhere strictly to all rules and regulations of the

2-22 Jail and to work on various community service projects, such as cleaning

2-23 roads, painting schools and maintaining the Jail facility; and

2-24 Whereas, Those inmates who volunteer to participate in the Plan earn

2-25 such additional privileges as two visitors per week, selected time to watch

2-26 television, increased out-of-cell time, consumption of meals in the group’s

2-27 dayroom with other inmates, access to counseling and other self-

2-28 improvement programs; and

2-29 Whereas, A participating inmate who chooses to violate a rule or

2-30 regulation is held accountable for that behavior and reverts to the non-

2-31 participating status, including the loss of all privileges; and

2-32 Whereas, Inmates of the Jail are also given the opportunity to

2-33 participate in an aggressive Boot Camp Program, which is called the

2-34 "Highly Intensive Supervision Training & Education Program"; and

2-35 Whereas, The Program is designed to give an inmate the opportunity to

2-36 choose to change his or her lifestyle by progressing through various levels

2-37 of the Program which include:

2-38 1. Physical and mental conditioning;

2-39 2. Educational programs such as instruction regarding résumé

2-40 preparation and interviewing techniques for job applicants and classes

2-41 geared toward preparing inmates to take tests of general educational

2-42 development;

2-43 3. Training for and participation in the jail industry programs;

3-1 4. Work in the industry for which the inmate has been trained; and

3-2 5. Participation in the work-release program; and

3-3 Whereas, Under strict supervision, participating work crews from the

3-4 Jail manned sandbag lines around the clock in 12-hour shifts during the

3-5 severe flooding of the Truckee River in January of 1997 and more recently

3-6 these work crews participated in a massive river clean-up project along the

3-7 section of the Truckee River that runs through Reno and Sparks for a

3-8 combined work effort of 279,570 hours of labor; and

3-9 Whereas, The combined result of the Inmate Management Plan and the

3-10 Highly Intensive Supervision Training & Education Program so boldly

3-11 instituted by Sheriff Kirkland and carried out by the employees of the

3-12 Washoe County Consolidated Jail is an opportunity for a sense of

3-13 appreciation and increased self-worth by participating inmates that

3-14 increases the likelihood that the inmates will leave the Jail well-equipped to

3-15 be productive members of society, thereby resulting in a reduction in the

3-16 rate of criminal recidivism; now, therefore, be it

3-17 Resolved by the Assembly of the State of Nevada, the Senate

3-18 Concurring, That the Nevada Legislature recognizes and commends the

3-19 outstanding foresight, extraordinary perseverance and innovative efforts of

3-20 Sheriff Richard Kirkland and the employees of the Washoe County

3-21 Consolidated Jail in developing and carrying out a truly effective system to

3-22 manage inmates at the Washoe County Consolidated Jail; and be it further

3-23 Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly prepare and transmit a

3-24 copy of this resolution to Sheriff Richard Kirkland.