Prison near Las Vegas to replace Ely prison as Nevada’s max security facility

A prison outside Las Vegas will become Nevada’s new maximum-security facility, with the state’s highest-risk offenders being transferred there from the prison in Ely in eastern Nevada that currently houses the state’s men’s death row, according to the Nevada Department of Corrections.

High Desert State Prison will be upgraded to a maximum-security institution, with Ely State Prison’s status downgrading to a medium-security institution, the department announced in a news release.

The shift in custody levels between the two prisons is part of an “effort to increase the safety of both staff and offenders,” the release said.

Offenders from Ely, currently the state’s prison with the highest level of security, will be transported to High Desert, which is a few dozen miles from Las Vegas. A number of inmates from High Desert will also be transferred to Ely, the release said.

The change is intended to place the highest-risk offenders in a facility with greater staffing levels located near more outside law-enforcement and medical services.

Violence inside the walls of Ely State Prison had been on the department’s radar, department spokesperson Teri Vance told the Review-Journal in August.

Deaths at Ely

In the last two years, the Nevada Department of Corrections has issued press releases for the deaths of seven people at Ely, three of whom were killed in a fight there on July 30.

In April, an inmate serving time at the prison was stabbed to death, leaving his loved ones questioning the safety of the facility.

William “Bill” Quenga, a department spokesperson, said that there has been an “uptick in gang activity” at Ely State Prison that was not always possible to control.

“The safety of our officers, staff and offenders is paramount to our mission as a Department,” said James Dzurenda, the department’s director, in the release. “This move will allow us to increase our security within the institutions to better protect offenders serve the communities that trust us to keep them safe.”

An inmate at Ely State Prison named Gilbert Paliotta wrote in a letter to the Review-Journal that he had been informed that the department was going to “swap” offenders at the prison with offenders at High Desert State Prison.

“As bad as I need to get away from this porta-potty, the ‘swapping’ of offenders isn’t a solution to a problem, but taking trash and putting it in your neighbors cans,” Paliotta, who expressed concerns about the violence within the prison, wrote.

Higher capacity at High Desert

All officers working in Nevada Department of Corrections facilities receive consistent safety training for all custody levels, according to the release. This is because offenders are often moved to different facilities for reasons including medical care or proximity to court appearances.

According to the department, High Desert State Prison, which opened in 2000, is also a newer facility, with “higher perimeter security standards.” It has the capacity to hold nearly 3,000 more inmates than Ely State Prison, which opened in 1989.

The Nevada Department of Corrections did not share when the transfer of the inmates will be happening, in order to “ensure the safety of offenders, staff and the public.”

Contact Estelle Atkinson at eatkinson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @estelleatkinsonreports on Instagram and @estellelilym on X.