Ely State Prison

Ely State Prison is a maximum security prison located north of Ely, Nevada. The facility, operated by the Nevada Department of Corrections, was constructed in 1989-1990, replacing the maximum-security facilities at the Nevada State Prison in Carson City. Ely State Prison has a design capacity of 784 inmates, and an operating capacity of 969 inmates. The prison has a staff of 341. Nevada's death row is located here.

In March 2008, citing unmitigated gross medical neglect of its inmates, the American Civil Liberties Union's National Prison Project filed a lawsuit on behalf of the prison's inmates. Among the accusations was an account of a diabetic inmate who was denied insulin, and whose resulting gangrene was left untreated until he died.

Organized labor, AFSCME Local 4041, is working to create a more functional, healthy workplace, to reduce the constant inmate stuffing which pushes inmate residents to ever higher levels, and the constant reduction of staff which is partly the result of the very isolated community, the very difficult work environment, and cost cutting by the State of Nevada Department of Corrections. Although staff are constantly abused by inmates emotionally, spiritually, and physically; Corrections Officers and other staff continue to perform responsibilities professionally.

Notable Inmates

* Jeremy Strohmeyer - convicted of murdering Sherrice Iverson

External links

* [http://www.doc.nv.gov/esp/ Ely State Prison]
* [http://blog.aclu.org/index.php?/archives/545-A-Death-Almost-Too-Horrible-to-Believe.html ACLU Blog: A Death "Almost Too Horrible to Believe"]