Nevada jails are typically “coed” while Nevada prisons are typically “single-gender”. Many people use the terms “jails” and “prisons” interchangeably, but they are very different:
Nevada Jails
Jails are for people who:
- have been arrested,
- are awaiting trial (and cannot bail out), and
- are serving misdemeanor sentences
Most jails like the Clark County Detention Center in downtown Las Vegas house both male and female inmates. However, jails usually segregate the sexes by building, floor, hall, or section, depending on the size of the facility.
Nevada Prisons
Prisons are for people who have been convicted of a felony and are serving out the sentence. Most prisons are single-gender and house male inmates. The following prisons house only female inmates:
- Florence McClure Women’s Correctional Center in Las Vegas, Clark County
- Jean Conservation Camp in Jean, Clark County
- Silver Springs Conservation Camp in Silver Springs, Lyon County (currently closed)
Note that female inmates may temporarily be housed in the coed Northern Nevada Correctional Center in Carson City before being transferred to an all-female facility.
The Nevada prison population is largely male; only about 10% of prison inmates are female. Of those, about 30% are in for drug-related convictions. Most of the Nevada female prison population fall in the 35-39 age group, followed by the 30-34 age group.
Transgender Women in Nevada Prisons
The Nevada Department of Corrections (NDOC) determines housing placement for transsexual inmates on a case-by-case basis. The NDOC has a Non-conforming Gender Review Committee (NGRC) that decides trans inmates’ final placement.
Generally, inmates the NGRC identify as trans women may receive bras and female jail clothing. Depending on the case, trans inmates may be assigned to a single-person cell, may shower separately from other inmates, and may receive hormone therapy.
When an inmate is identified as a trans woman following medical and mental health evaluations, the appropriate medical provider will create an individual management plan which comprises requirements for mental health and supportive psychotherapy treatment. This treatment should be consistent with State Medicaid Plan policies in an effort to create consistency with allowable services for if/when the inmate gets released from prison.
Transsexual inmates are seen at least once a year by a medical provider, who reviews the treatment and determines if any alterations to the management plan are necessary. Transsexual inmates who refuse to submit to this annual review risk having their treatment stopped or reduced unless it would pose a serious health risk.
Legal References:
- Nevada Department of Corrections, Fiscal Year 2013 Annual Statistical Report.
- Afsha Bawany, The Reality of Women’s Prisons, UNLV News Center (Jun 9, 2015).
- Advisory Commission on the Administration of Justice, An Overview of Adult Corrections in Nevada, Nevada State Legislature.
- NRS 209.131; Nevada Department of Corrections Administrative Regulation 494 Evaluation, Placement, and Treatment of Transgender or Intersex Inmates (August 30, 2017).
