Criminal Justice + Policing
Sibella common thread in state and federal probes of money laundering
The Nevada Gaming Control Board, which has been silent since news broke last summer of a federal investigation of Las Vegas casinos and executives, filed a complaint Tuesday against Scott Sibella, the former president of MGM Grand and Resorts World, that mirrors the federal case that resulted in Sibella’s guilty plea in January to one […]
Lawsuit against NDOC seeks answers on man who died while in custody
A year after 44-year-old Christian Walker died in prison after being beaten by corrections officers, his family sued the Nevada Department Corrections over what they say was excessive use of force that led to his death. But families of people incarcerated in Nevada have warned Walker’s death is not the only instance of excessive use […]
Board punts probe of unlicensed prison medical director to AG
It took the Nevada Board of Medical Examiners three months to determine it has no jurisdiction over Dr. Kenneth Williams, medical director of Nevada’s prisons, who has been practicing medicine without a license since September of last year when he joined the Department. In February, the Current reported Williams, who served as medical director of […]
State lawmakers urged to consider authorizing automated traffic enforcement
The Nevada Advisory Committee on Traffic Safety urged state lawmakers Wednesday to consider legislation authorizing the use of speeding and red light cameras. Critics warned automated ticketing of motorists via photos singles out populations, and can become more of a revenue model for governments and system vendors than a solution to traffic safety. Lawmakers during […]
Nevada offers fewer consumer debt protections than almost every other state, report says
Nevada is one of the worst states in the nation when it comes to offering consumer debt protections, according to a new analysis by the National Center for Access to Justice at Fordham Law School. Nevada ranked 47th in the nation on NCAJ’s Consumer Debt Litigation Index, which analyzes states against 24 specific policies designed […]
Advocates, lawmakers laud progress on implementation of prison reforms
New laws limiting solitary confinement and ending medical copays have taken effect, but efforts to set up an independent prison ombudsman and expand medical services to women who are incarcerated are still ongoing, prison officials told lawmakers on Friday. The 2023 Legislative Session saw substantial changes to the correctional system, which came following years of […]
State scrambling to come up with forensic beds after deal with Las Vegas went south
The Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health (DPBH) is turning to alternative measures to provide more forensic beds and services after a deal with the City of Las Vegas soured, leaving DPBH to pay a $500 fine for each day a person in need of mental health treatment is in jail instead of under […]
Medical director of Nevada prisons not licensed as a physician in the state
The medical director of the Nevada Department of Corrections, Dr. Kenneth Williams, has no medical license in Nevada, the state’s Board of Medical Examiners confirmed Friday. The board’s investigator did not respond to requests for comment. “Dr. Williams is currently licensed in Tennessee,” NDOC assistant director William Quenga said Friday in an interview. “He is […]
Ex-con schools law enforcement on approach
Michael DiVicino grew up despising law enforcement. “When I was roughly the age of five or six, I woke up to a commotion in my household. I’m scared. I’m confused. I see the door kicked in, and I see my father being dragged out of the house in handcuffs,” DiVicino said Wednesday to a class […]
Lawsuit filed against CCSD in 2022 Las Vegas High School beating
A lawsuit accuses Clark County School District of being “deliberately indifferent” to a Las Vegas High School student who was beaten in her geometry class in February 2022. Law firms Bertoldo Carter Smith & Cullen and Robert L. Langford & Associates filed the case, Lainez Lemus v. CCSD, in Clark County District Court. They allege […]
Wronged by a licensed contractor? Nevada has a fund for that
Kelly Lange thought she did everything right. The Las Vegas homeowner knew she should use a licensed contractor for a planned kitchen remodel. She picked an established company, checked their online reviews, and made sure their license and bonding was current. “I work for a (public) utility here in town,” she said, “so I knew […]
ACLU sues Metro over treatment of deaf people at county jail
The ACLU of Nevada filed a federal lawsuit against the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) on Jan. 11, claiming the Clark County Detention Center (CCDC) failed to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act, the U.S. Constitution, and the Nevada Constitution in violation of the rights of deaf inmates. The ACLU […]