On Friday, Nevada's First Lady Kathleen Sandoval presented Assembly Bill 472, which would make several changes to the state's juvenile justice system. The governor's proposed budget includes $1.5 million to support the legislation, if it's approved by lawmakers. Our News Director Michelle Billman spoke with Kathleen Sandoval to learn more about the reforms being considered.
During our conversation, Nevada’s First Lady highlighted three key components to the legislation, describing them as:
1. Creating a standardized risk assessment tool to be used across the state to determine a youth’s risk level, whether or not they need to be detained, and what services they may need. Right now, there’s no standardized method of doing this.
2. Creating a centralized database so that agencies and facilities across the state can more easily share information about the youths being admitted, including past services that youth may have received.
3. Setting a higher standard of care by implementing more evidence-based programs throughout the state and developing more individualized plans for each youth, instead of using cookie-cutter approaches.