There is a difference between jails and prisons.
In Nevada, jails are county or city-run detention centers for inmates who have just been arrested, who are awaiting trial, or who are serving misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor sentences. Prisons are state-run detention centers that house people who are serving felony sentences.
Who goes to jail in Nevada?
Jail inmates consist of four main populations:
- People who have been arrested for a crime, and they are waiting to bail out;
- People arrested for a crime who have not been able to bail out, and they are awaiting trial;
- People who have been convicted of a misdemeanor offense, which carries up to 6 months in jail; and
- People who have been convicted of a gross misdemeanor offense, which carries up to 364 days in jail
Jails are run by the county or city. In Clark County, the jails are:
- Clark County Detention Center (CCDC) – search for inmates here
- Las Vegas City Jail – search for inmates here
- Henderson Jail – search for inmates here
- North Las Vegas Community Correctional Center (CCC) – search for inmates here
- Mesquite Jail – find inmates here
- Tucker Holding Facility in Laughlin, a temporary jail that transfers inmates to the CCDC
Jails tend to be smaller than prisons. And they are usually located in highly-populated metropolitan areas near the local courthouse.
Jail inmates who get convicted of a felony – either through a trial or by plea bargain – will be transferred to a prison to serve their sentence.
Who goes to prison in Nevada?
Nevada state prisons house people convicted of a felony, which carries a minimum of one year in prison. (Though it may be possible for certain defendants to be released earlier.) Prisons tend to be much larger than jails. Prisons are state-run by the Nevada Department of Corrections (NDOC), and they are usually in rural areas. Search for inmates here.
Nevada prisons include the following:
- Ely State Prison (ESP) in Ely
- Florence McClure Women’s Correctional Center (FMWCC) in Las Vegas, which is a women’s prison
- High Desert State Prison (HDSP) in Indian Springs
- Jean Conservation Camp (JCC) in Jean, which is a women’s facility
- Lovelock Correctional Center (LCC) in Lovelock
- Northern Nevada Correctional Center (NNCC) in Carson City
- Southern Desert Correctional Center (SDCC) in Indian Springs
- Warm Springs Correctional Center (WSCC) in Carson City
The NDOC’s Non-conforming Gender Review Committee (NGRC) makes the final decision on where transgender prisoners are placed. See our related article on women inmates in Nevada.
Since prisons are long-term facilities, they offer various educational programs such as
- Life Skills,
- GED preparation,
- ESL (English as a Second Language), and
- basic literacy.
Some of the vocational training inmates may receive include
- computer skills,
- dry cleaning,
- HVAC installation and repair,
- furniture-making,
- repairing equipment,
- fire-fighting,
- car mechanics and restoration,
- cooking skills,
- animal science,
- construction, and
- business and management.
One way in which jails and prisons are similar is that inmates may not receive phone calls. Instead, they can only call out. Also, these phone calls are recorded. So jail inmates who are awaiting trial must be careful not to say anything incriminating.
Learn more about the Nevada jail and prison system.
