LAS VEGAS (AP) - Nevada officials have directed the Department of Corrections to draft a new regulation that would set a 50% limit on the amount of funds the state can take from prisoners and use for victim restitution.
The board had decided in October to suspend a policy that allowed officials to take up to 80% of funds inmates received from their families or friends and repurpose it for victims. The policy had been challenged by advocacy groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union and Nevada Attorneys for Criminal Justice.
ACLU of Nevada Policy Director Holly Welborn said a potential reduction to a 50% cap is “still too much.”
“But for now, it’s a lot better and more palatable for families at that 50% level,” Welborn said.
The state Board of Prison Commissioners, comprised of Gov. Steve Sisolak, Attorney General Aaron Ford and Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske, will consider the proposed draft at its next meeting, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
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