Agricultural and Industrial Programs

NRS 209.4815 thru 209.4818 – Overview of the Agricultural and Industrial Programs Managed by the Nevada Department of Corrections

The Nevada legislature empowered the Department of Corrections to manage agricultural and industrial programs that involve work programs made available to inmates.

Agricultural and Industrial Program

According to NRS 209.4817, the Administrator of the Department of Administration’s Purchasing Division must establish procedures that must be followed by department heads when they make purchases. However, the Director may set a procedure in place for making emergency purchases for materials, equipment, or supplies. In this case, the Director does not have to go through the procedures set up by the Administrator of the Department of Administration’s Purchasing Division like he would have to with every other purchase.

Committee of Industrial Programs

Committee of Industrial Programs Division

The Director, Administrator of the Department of Administration’s Purchasing Division, and nine regular members appointed by the Interim Finance Committee make up the Industrial Programs Committee. The nine regular members must consist of:

1. Two Assembly members;
2. Two Senate members;
3. Two representatives of manufacturing in Nevada;
4. Two representatives of organized labor in Nevada; and
5. One representative of business in Nevada.

The regular members must choose someone from their membership to be the Chair. The Chair can choose nine extra people to fill in for the regular members in case someone can’t make it to a meeting or perform their duties. The nine additional members must also consist of the same five classifications as listed above.

The legislative, alternative, and non-legislative regular members of the committee will be compensated and receive a travel allowance. Nevada will pay them out of the Fund for Prison Industries.

Committee of Industrial Programs Duties

The committee must:

1. Stay informed on the developments and issues in regards to the industrial programs all of the prisons, jails, and departments of corrections;
2. Prepare and give a status report to the Interim Finance Committee twice a year – before July 1 and December 1 – on all of the current industrial programs put into place in the correctional institutions and on any new proposals;
3. Report any other appropriate matter to the Legislature that has to do with the industrial program for correctional institutions;
4. Have a quarterly (or more) meeting to review the current industrial programs and to discuss proposed industrial programs;
5. Whenever the position becomes vacant for the Deputy Director for Industry Programs, the Committee shall make a recommendation of three people to the Director for someone to fill that position;
6. Make sure the Director abides by the requirements outlined in the statutes regarding the establishment of programs found in NRS 209.461. A few of the requirements of state-sponsored programs are:
   • They must employ the most prisoners they possibly can.
   • The programs must not significantly affect the number of employment opportunities available to Nevada state residents.
   • They must provide the prisoners with occupational training.
   • The Director must employ professionals and instructors to teach the prisoners in the craft of the occupational training they are to receive.
   • The proceeds must be used to pay for the maintenance of the prisoners.
7. Lastly, the Committee shall review each industry program that is established by the Director to make sure that it’s profitable. If a reviewed program has sustained a net loss for three successive years, they must then report that to the Director and make a recommendation as to whether the industry program should be terminated or given another year to prove itself. If the Director chooses to reject the Committee’s recommendation, he must provide the Committee with his reasoning.

If the Committee of Industrial Programs determines that a specific piece of information is necessary for them to have for them to properly perform the duties prescribed them, then the Director and the Industrial Program’s Deputy Director must make sure the Committee gets access to that needed information.