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Committee considers AB 25 to set NDOC screening ages, remove boot-camp language and allow correctional IDs for notary purposes
Summary
AB 25 would set mammogram and pelvic-exam ages for women in NDOC custody, remove obsolete statutory references to boot camps, and permit use of NDOC identification for notarizations; presenters said the changes align services to community standards and reflect that boot camps no longer operate.
James Dzurenda, director of the Nevada Department of Corrections, told the Senate Judiciary Committee that AB 25 contains three distinct changes concerning NDOC practice.
Dzurenda said the bill clarifies medical-screening ages: mammograms would be provided starting at age 40 consistent with community standards but could occur earlier if a medical provider requires it; pelvic exams would begin at age 21. “We wanted to make sure that the NRS was clear with some type of standards that they use in the community, based upon the American Medical Association,” Dzurenda said.
The bill also would remove obsolete statutory language referring to “boot camps,” a regimen the department discontinued roughly a decade ago. Dzurenda said courts still occasionally issue orders sending offenders to boot camp even though those programs no longer exist. “Boot camps were abolished about 10 years ago or longer,” he said, and the department wants the statute cleaned to avoid invalid court orders.
Finally, AB 25 would permit use of a correctional identification card for notary purposes because many incarcerated people do not have driver’s licenses or other state-issued photo IDs in their possession. Dzurenda said the change had support from court administrators and the attorney general’s office.
Committee members asked whether removing boot-camp language would affect any existing youth programs; a staff clarification noted the change applies only to the Nevada Department of Corrections and would not affect the Spring Mountain Youth Camp program, which the committee described as administered separately.
No members of the public testified in support or opposition. Tonia Brown of Advocates for the Inmates and the Innocent provided neutral testimony noting that men can develop breast cancer and asked whether the bill’s mammogram provisions could accommodate men with medical need. “Is it possible to possibly put men in there if they have some issues?” Brown asked.
The committee closed the hearing on AB 25 after receiving neutral testimony; no vote was taken at this meeting.
