FACT BRIEF

Has Nevada’s prison population decreased by about a third since 2019?

By Isabella Aldrete on 04/11/2025

Yes.

Nevada’s incarcerated population has decreased by about a third since 2019, when the Nevada Legislature passed a sweeping criminal justice package aimed at saving money on correctional costs and reducing crimes.

The year following the bill’s passage, Nevada's incarcerated population decreased by nearly a thousand, from 13,400 in June 2019 to about 12,200 individuals in June 2020, according to statistics from Nevada’s Department of Corrections.

Since then, the population has steadily decreased. As of March 2025, about 10,800 people are incarcerated in Nevada.

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Sources

Nevada Electronic Legislative Information System AB236
State of Nevada Department of Corrections FY 2020
State of Nevada Department of Corrections Quarter IV FY 2019
State of Nevada Department of Corrections Quarterly Reports by Fiscal Year
State of Nevada Department of Corrections Quarter III FY 2025

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