Nevada sentencing office outlines prison population trends, aging-prisoner costs and new data tools

The Nevada Department of Sentencing Policy on Feb. 20 told the Assembly Judiciary Committee that it has completed a Microsoft SQL Server database that will allow more detailed tracking of sentencing, corrections and demographic trends across Nevada.

The database and new dashboards will let the department and policymakers view “all offenses” on each booking (not just the single most‑serious charge), examine trends by county and age group and run post‑conviction population projections, Georgia Powers, executive director of the Nevada Department of Sentencing Policy, said.

The presentation matters because it gives lawmakers a clearer, longer view of who is in Nevada custody and how much their care costs. Powers said the agency’s analysis shows an aging prison population — defined by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics as people 55 and older — that is driving higher medical costs and requiring different management than younger cohorts.

“We break the aging population down further and can see that the majority are 55 to 64 years of age,” Powers said. Agency data indicated NDSP counted more severe violent offenses rising among the aging cohort than other offense groups. Jenna Bonacorsi, deputy director, said most older people on current bookings have one or two offenses listed, and prior‑history measures (jail, probation, prison history) are tracked to identify trends.

NDSP reported that, for February 2023, Nevada Department of Corrections medical costs totaled $16,139,035.44, with the largest categories being hospital emergency visits and general office visits. The department said industry research estimates housing aging incarcerated individuals can cost about four times that for younger prisoners.

Powers and Bonacorsi also described work on younger adults (24 and under) and said category B felonies represented the most serious offenses on the majority of those bookings; the agency is continuing research into that group. On fentanyl, NDSP said it has arrest and conviction data through October 2024 and reported 50 individuals arrested under Nevada fentanyl offense codes, of whom two were convicted on the original charge at that time (both via guilty plea); NDSP noted admissions to NDOC occurred after the initial report.

NDSP managers recommended continued funding for local justice reinvestment grants (noting $3,000,000 in state funds available in the most recent grant round, with a 30% local match requirement), financial support for NDOC and the Division of Parole and Probation to improve their data systems, and statutory changes to extend the projection horizon beyond 2028 so projections match biennial budget cycles. The office said it intends to publish post‑conviction population projections and make the all‑offenses dataset available via public dashboards.

During questions, Assemblymember Gonzales asked whether the department’s projection slide showed incarcerated population projections; Bonacorsi confirmed it was the overall projected population produced by the in‑house model. Assemblymember Cole asked about data gaps created by Assembly Bill 236 (2019), which reduced some felony penalties; Powers and Bonacorsi said NDSP needs more local jail, probation and local law enforcement data to determine whether lower penalties have shifted costs from state prison to county jails or probation systems.

The department said it will continue work on young‑adult, habitual‑offender and female NDOC population studies, and on improving public dashboards and projection methodology to better inform fiscal and policy decisions.

Less critical details: NDSP noted that county populations vary widely (from about 736 people in Esmeralda County to more than 3 million in Clark County, cited to explain per‑capita homicide rate differences), and that eight counties reported no homicides in February 2023. The department said it will provide additional data and continue to coordinate with NDOC, parole and probation and the Parole Board for projection work.