Warm Springs Correctional Center to close in Carson City

The Nevada Department of Corrections announced on Monday that it will close Warm Springs Correctional Center in Carson City as a means to increase safety and security and reduce overtime.

“Placing WSCC into a sustained temporary closure and distributing personnel to other institutions will allow for safer conditions for both staff and offenders,” said Acting Director William Gittere. “The increase in staffing at the other institutions will improve our ability to meet Constitutional and state law requirements related to the effective management of the offender population. Decreased overtime directly improves work stress and fatigue, which will be a key factor in the improvement to the quality of life and retention of staff.”

Beginning in December, nearly all the offenders at Warm Springs Correctional Center will be moved to the nearby Northern Nevada Correctional Center without the loss of privileges or programming. Some may be classified and moved to other institutions, as appropriate.

No jobs will be lost, and employees will not be transferred outside region, except on a voluntary basis.

Vacancies at the three Northern Nevada institutions – Warm Springs, Northern Nevada and Lovelock correctional centers – averages between 47 and 52 percent. They range 25-35 overtime hours per uniformed staff member per pay period.

The Department estimates the consolidation plan will save the state approximately $14 million annually in overtime and operational costs.

Warm Springs was built in 1961 and operated as the Nevada Women’s Correctional Center until 1997 before being converted to a medium-security men’s prison in 1997.