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.

Inmate advocates are calling for a boycott of prison communications and tablets every Wednesday starting this week to protest pricing and quality issues.

In total, Gov. Joe Lombardo signed 13 bills into law. Four other proposals failed to move forward. Click through our policy tracker for all the details you need to know on every proposal.

The settlement was approved without comment at Tuesday's Board of Examiners meeting, two years after Walker's death.

Charles Morris filed a federal lawsuit in 2018 accusing several state prison medical officials of "callous disregard for my personal health and wellbeing" after he was repeatedly denied back surgery that a doctor had deemed necessary.

Tuesday's deadline is expected to result in the death of only a handful of measures, as more than 200 bills have been exempted.

The budget hole means that the Legislature will now have to come up with enough money to fix the shortfall in just three months.

A web of fees and hidden charges — from commissary markups as much as 35 percent to medical fees incarcerated individuals have no ability to pay — has been designed to extract money from our most vulnerable populations. 

The prisoners alleged that they were required to keep working despite suffering burns on their feet, which prevented them from being able to walk. The state will now provide more medical checks and training.

Carlos Perez died in 2014 after a correctional trainee officer fired birdshot rounds in the head, chest, neck and arm. His death prompted lawsuits and changes in prison use of force policies.

Other bills that went into effect include measures that increase criminal penalties for stealing catalytic converters, place stronger restrictions on pet restraints and loosen fee hikes at Nevada prisons.

Stacey Richards was blinded by a birdshot round in 2015 while incarcerated at Ely State Prison. The Nevada Department of Corrections has not admitted liability for this incident.

Laura Martin, executive director of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada (PLAN) Action, said Lombardo's plans for the coming biennium work for a "small percentage of people at the top" and not struggling Nevadans. 

The former head of the Nevada Department of Corrections requested $1 million from the state and is now threatening litigation after Gov. Steve Sisolak asked him to resign last month, the governor's office said Friday.

The Nevada Department of Corrections temporarily paused all visits as a "precaution" amid rising COVID-19 cases, so far in January, 209 inmates and 210 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19.

During a three day-long hearing in federal court last week, Floyd's counsel called upon medical experts to highlight the alleged inefficacy of the state's proposed execution plans, which include a novel combination of lethal injection drugs.

The move addresses data gaps advocates warned could lead to an imbalance of power between rural and urban communities and place the state in violation of a 2019 state ban on a practice known as "prison gerrymandering."

Community leaders note the growth of Nevada's minority populations and say that new district maps must reflect the state's increasing diversity.

Gov. Steve Sisolak criticized the Nevada Department of Corrections for the low vaccination rate among its staff, calling the rate "atrocious," during Tuesday's meeting of the Board of Prison Commissioners.

The lawsuit argues that the state violates the First Amendment by interfering with the media's ability to observe Zane Floyd's execution in its entirety and without obstruction.