Nevada State Prison

39°09′37″N 119°44′15″W / 39.16028°N 119.73750°W / 39.16028; -119.73750

Nevada State Prison (NSP)
1999 aerial photo of the prison
Map
Location3301 E. 5th Street
Carson City, Nevada 89702[1]
Coordinates39°09′37″N 119°44′15″W / 39.16028°N 119.73750°W / 39.16028; -119.73750
StatusPermanently closed
Security classHigh
Capacity841[1]
Population219 [2] (as of September 2011)
Opened1862
Closed2012
Managed byNevada Department of Corrections
WardenGregory Smith[1]

Nevada State Prison (NSP) was a penitentiary located in Carson City. The prison was in continuous operation since its establishment in 1862 and was managed by the Nevada Department of Corrections. It was one of the oldest prisons still operating in the United States.[1] The high security facility housed 219 inmates in September 2011.[2] It was designed to hold 841 inmates and employed a staff of 211.[1]

In the early 20th century, the prison became the sole designated facility for executions by the state of Nevada. It carried out the first death sentence by gas chamber in the United States with the execution of Gee Jon on February 8, 1924.[3]

The state of Nevada chose to close the facility for budgetary reasons.[4] The prison closed its doors on May 18, 2012,[5] with all inmates transferred to other institutions or released.

Although the prison has closed, it was still designated as the site of executions for the State of Nevada,[6] until the current execution chamber at Ely State Prison opened in 2016.

  1. ^ a b c d e "NDOC: Nevada State Prison". Nevada Department of Corrections. April 27, 2010. Archived from the original on August 22, 2014. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Dornan, Geoff (18 September 2011). "Nevada State Prison down to just over 200 inmates". Nevada Appeal. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference NSLA-Outline was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Ryan, Cy (February 3, 2010). "Nevada State Prison could be closed to save money". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
  5. ^ "Nevada State Prison - CLOSED". Nevada Department of Corrections. Archived from the original on 22 August 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  6. ^ "Department Organization" (Archive). Nevada Department of Corrections. Retrieved on September 19, 2015. "The site of executions is still the chamber in the Nevada State Prison."