Last week, about 100 people, comprised of Nevada corrections officers and officials from the State of Nevada Employees Association (SNEA), protested conditions at the Nevada State Penitentiary (NSP), a medium-security facility that houses 900 inmates.

COs rallied with signs that read “Respect Us” and “Stop Treating Officers like Inmates” to garner attention about safety concerns and a breakdown in communication between administration and COs.

“Nevada is a state that has been growing rapidly over the last few years,” says Dennis Mallory, a lead organizer for SNEA, which represents Nevada state workers, including COs. “At this time, it is crucial that there is open communication between administrators and officers.”

Employees are upset that administrators are not honoring their part of an agreement about meeting with officers to discuss issues, which is required after a 2003 lawsuit settlement created a “Meet and Confer” agreement.

“We are dealing with a wide, diverse inmate population and they are very dangerous. Under the current administration, officers do not feel like they are being heard,” Mallory explains. “Meet and Confer wasn't just about officers voicing their concerns. It was a chance for the wardens to bring up any issues they had.”

Nevada DOC Director, Glen Whorton, says he has been communicating with officers all along.

“We have regularly met with officers. I have taped sessions of those meetings and all of these issues have been discussed. I think these officers are saying that if they don't agree with us, they aren't being heard. But administrators have sat down and listened to these officers and they will continue to do so,” he says.

Protestors are also concerned about prison program cuts, but Whorton says steps must be taken to avoid going over his prisons' annual budget. 

“It is state law in Nevada that we have to remain within our budget requirements,” responds Wharton.

Protestors are also unhappy about recent restrictions on sick leave and on items that can be brought into the workplace, which they say were implemented by new warden, Bill Donate.  Mallory says these restrictions are an overreaction to the actions of one employee.

“These are all policies getting passed down that punish everyone. It's not fair that one person brings a DVD player to a facility and the administration creates really strict rules for everyone that works there. It was just one officer,” Mallory adds.

Whorton contends the new regulations were imposed to prevent contraband from entering the facility.

 “These measures were enacted to improve security at the facility for inmates and officers alike. I am also confused as to why one particular warden is being singled out. I made these new regulations, not the wardens. These are policies that I handed down to improve conditions for everyone,” Whorton says.

Mallory says administrators have agreed to a May 3^rd meeting where both sides will discuss safety issues and adjustments to the recently imposed restrictions.