Nye County to seek applicants for justice reinvestment council

What is justice?

In concept, it seems a simple thing, but in practice, justice can come in an astonishing array of forms and fashions, some of which have started to be called into question. With mental health problems, recidivism, an ever-increasing prison population and rising costs to house inmates all taken into account, Nevada is now taking action to address its criminal justice system with the hope that through reforms, it can be improved for the benefit of all, citizens and lawbreakers alike.

In June, 2019, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak signed into law Assembly Bill 236, bipartisan legislation that resulted in the creation of the Nevada Local Justice Reinvestment Coordinating Council, or NLJRCC, which will be tasked with overseeing and advocating for local initiatives relating to other changes that came as a part of Assembly Bill 236. One of the NLJRCC’s main tasks will be to provide recommendations to the newly established Nevada Sentencing Commission, which in turn will monitor the progress of the state’s criminal justice system following the implementation of the various revisions that were included with the 2019 bill.

As part of the process of creating the NLJRCC, each of the county commissions across Nevada have the duty of appointing a representative to the council. For the highly populated counties of Clark and Washoe, two members from each will be included while the state’s more rural counties will each be required to provide one appointee.

On Tuesday, March 2, Nye County commissioners discussed their responsibility of appointing a member and all appeared to be in concurrence that with the enormous significance of such a position, their decision must be carefully and thoughtfully considered.

Nye County Commissioner Frank Carbone started off the discussion that morning, telling his fellow commissioners, “I think this is a pretty important position that needs to be looked at.” He added that though a commissioner could be appointed to fill the position, and it would be a good learning experience for a commissioner, he felt it would be prudent to look for someone in the public who has experience in such matters.

“We really need to look at a person’s abilities in this particular case. Because this is going to be people who are actually going to be giving information to the council that’s actually going to move forward with some of the decisions that these people come up with. So to me, it’s a really important position and it really deserves a lot of discussion,” Carbone stated.

Nye County Commission Chair Debra Strickland wholeheartedly agreed. “I think recruitment would be the way to go. Put this out there for interested parties to put in an application, a resume, and make it happen,” Strickland stated. Commissioner Leo Blundo added that while he himself would be interested in serving in the capacity, he, too, thought it would be appropriate to take applications from the public.

Nye County District Attorney Chris Arabia chimed in to note that the qualifications for the appointee did not specifically require it, but the idea behind the council was to have it comprised of those from the criminal justice system and mental and behavioral health communities. “There’s a lot of stuff that can only be learned from being in the system… I think that given the importance of this, it would be a good idea to get someone who is in the business, any of those three, they all kind of intersect to a great extent,” Arabia stated.

Commissioner Donna Cox added her support for putting the position out for applications, telling her fellow commissioners that she believed experience and education would be key.

“Let’s not discount that we have many educated professionals living right here in Nye County that I know of and who are certainly qualified for this appointment,” commissioner Bruce Jabbour stated. “I agree with commissioner Cox, advertising, getting it out there. It’s almost like putting it out to bid so we can review and then select the best candidate possible.”

With everyone on the same page, Carbone made the motion to put out an application for the Nevada Local Justice Reinvestment Coordinating Council, which passed with all in favor.

Nye County staff is now in the process of developing the application for the NLJRCC, with plans to have the position put out for advertisement in the near future. Once the application has been crafted and the advertisements drafted, the Pahrump Valley Times will provide additional details on how to apply for the council.

The appointment must be made prior to July 1, according to supporting information provided with the agenda item, so that by August the NLJRCC chair can be selected and the first meeting can be held in September. Appointments will be for two-year terms.

For more information on the NLJRCC and Assembly Bill 236 visit bit.ly/3v2r1Xg

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com