Parole and Probation seeks clearer deadlines, limited extra time for psychosexual evaluations in SB7

Parole and Probation officials told the Nevada Senate Judiciary Committee on Feb. 24 that Senate Bill 7 would clarify and modestly extend timing for pre‑sentence investigation reports, separate statutory deadlines they say have been combined in some courts, and allow up to three additional days to submit a report after the division receives a required psychosexual evaluation.

"The parole and probation division is seeking revisions related to pre sentence investigations and reports, clarifying language to ensure our personnel have the appropriate amount of time to conduct quality pre sentence investigations," Department of Public Safety Parole and Probation Chief Tamra Jackson said during the hearing.

The bill would explicitly treat the 45 days allowed to prepare a PSI (NRS 176.135 as cited in testimony) as independent from the 14‑day disclosure deadline that requires the division to provide the completed report to the court before sentencing (NRS 176.153), and would permit the chief of Parole and Probation to submit the report up to three days after receiving a psychosexual evaluation when one is required.

Why it matters: Parole and Probation officials said current practice — which they described as courts treating the 14‑day disclosure period as part of the 45‑day preparation window — can leave investigators roughly 17 to 19 days to complete work that previously had been intended to take the full 45 days. That compressed schedule, they said, reduces time for records collection, victim contact, interviewing defendants and reviewing drafts, increases overtime, and can limit victims’ opportunity to participate.

"The current combined interpretation leaves only about 17 to 19 days to complete a report, which is insignificant given the complexity and necessary steps in the process," Parole and Probation Supervisor Sarah Macias said. "Several procedural steps feed into the time limit including obtaining criminal histories, gathering district attorney files, contacting and obtaining victim statements, interviewing the defendants, obtaining and reading police reports, interpreting the information obtained and reviewing reports for completion."

Presenters told the committee that psychosexual evaluations — required in sentencing for certain offenses — are a separate bottleneck. The division said it arranges evaluations and asks evaluators to return them within 30 to 35 days, but availability varies by region. Testimony said Northern Command has about four available evaluators, Southern Command about three, and rural areas fewer. In some cases evaluators’ schedules extended to 90 days in Northern Command, the presenters said.

In support testimony the division cited operational data: Northern Command reported 40 evaluations received after the requested deadlines in 2024, eight evaluations declined by an evaluator because of availability constraints, and four evaluations received after the defendant’s sentencing date. Southern Command said it received 133 victim responses after the PSI had been submitted to court in 2024; 72 of those cases involved referrals with less than 45 days between referral and sentencing. The division told the committee it paid about $29,000 per month in overtime in fiscal year 2024 related to PSI workload.

Opponents — chiefly public defender offices — urged caution. "Delays in PSIs for a psychosexual evails is not a rampant problem in Clark County but it does happen. And when it happens the solution is simple. We just request a continuance from the judge and the judge grants it," Paloma Guerrero of the Clark County Public Defender’s Office told the committee. Guerrero and other defense‑office speakers argued that statutorily adding extra days risks lengthening incarceration for defendants who are awaiting sentencing, would allow indefinite continuances, and could harm negotiations that depend on a fixed 45‑day scheduling expectation.

"Sentencing is the final step in the criminal justice process. This is the day a victim finds closure," Angela Knott of the Washoe County Public Defender's Office said in opposition. "Removing these timelines will negatively impact the courts, victims and defendants."

Committee members questioned operational tradeoffs, including possible impacts on county jail populations and court calendars if the effective time from arraignment to sentencing increased. Parole and Probation representatives said the division prioritizes in‑custody PSIs and that the proposal is intended to return the statutory schedule to the division’s original 45‑day preparation period, not to add additional cases.

The committee did not vote on SB7 during the hearing. Presenters invited stakeholders to continue discussion and to seek amendments addressing concerns raised during testimony.

The hearing record on SB7 runs from the committee’s opening of the bill to the committee’s close of testimony at the end of the SB7 hearing; no final action was recorded at that session.