The Nevada Independent

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The Nevada Independent

Criminal Justice

The Nevada Supreme Court building in Las Vegas.

Nevada crime victims want Supreme Court to force action on delayed payment requests

The Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada is asking the Nevada Supreme Court to force the state to immediately issue decisions on whether crime victims are eligible for compensation.

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Nevada is supposed to compensate crime victims. Hundreds are waiting to get paid.

There are dozens of people who have been waiting for months to receive funds through the state's Victim Compensation Program, according to interviews with victims and advocates. The program, which is partially funded through federal dollars, is supposed to provide financial assistance to victims of violent crimes, helping them with everything from recouping medical expenses to lost wages. 

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Guards walk inside High Desert State Prison as seen on Friday, Jan. 4, 2019.

Nevada prisons blame overdoses on the mail. Skeptics question the state's research.

To curb drug use, the Nevada Department of Corrections (NDOC) is proposing restricting physical mail from entering facilities and replacing it with electronic copies — a move that has drawn sharp criticism from criminal justice advocates who see physical mail as a morale-boosting connection between inmates and the outside world.

Gov. Joe Lombardo leaves Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro's (D-Las Vegas) office inside the Legislature on the final day of the 83rd session in Carson City.

How Nevada passed immigration protections through a Republican crime bill

After the crime bill was reworked by Democrats, the new law will now curtail the ability of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to act on school grounds. It will also require the Nevada Department of Corrections (NDOC) to create a detainee locator for all incarcerated people, including those waiting to be picked up by ICE.