MOST VOTERS FAVOR NEW PRISONS

Most Nevada voters favor the governor's plan to address prison
overcrowding by spending millions on new prisons rather than changing
the law, so inmates can get out earlier, according to a new Reno
Gazette-Journal poll.

And a majority of those polled said they want the state to spend more
money on law enforcement to deal with Nevada's high rate of
methamphetamine addiction instead of increasing prevention and
treatment, the poll found.

The Nevada Legislature and Gov. Jim Gibbons have floated a number of
ways to address these problems, which will cost the state millions in
the coming years.

Voters polled seemed to recognize the level of the problem but were
mixed on the solution.

The poll, conducted by telephone from Monday to Wednesday, asked 600
likely voters across the state a list of questions. The margin of
error was 4 percentage points.

Two approaches to address prison overcrowding are being debated, but
most officials agree the problem has reached crisis levels.

More than 13,000 inmates are crammed into prison cells, gyms and
hallways -- keeping the Department of Corrections way over budget.

And experts have projected the inmate population will top 21,000 by 2016.

The department is seeking about $300 million for capital improvements
in the next two years, and Gibbons has proposed spending $1.9 billion
by 2015 for four new prisons, five new conservation camps and nine
housing units.

To save money, lawmakers are considering a list of bills that would
reduce the amount of time inmates spend incarcerated, but many of
those responding to the poll opposed that idea.

About 49 percent of all polled said they supported building new
prisons, while 38 percent want changes in the law. Men polled felt
stronger about the prison plan: 52 percent for new facilities, to 38
percent for new laws.

Forty-six percent of women said build the structures, while 40
percent said release the inmates.

State Assemblywoman Valerie Weber, R-Las Vegas, a member of the
Assembly Select Committee on Corrections, Parole and Probation, which
has been tackling the overcrowding problem, said the state needs a
"multi-prong" approach, not just one answer.

Besides deporting any inmates who were in Nevada illegally when they
committed their crimes, Weber said the state needs "prevention
strategies" to keep people out of the system in the first place.

"We need to look at where offenders come from and target those
neighborhoods," she said.

The state also needs more community after-care programs to keep
recidivism down, she said, and stronger preparation for re-entry programs.

On the question of methamphetamine addiction, most of those polled
favored greater support for law enforcement.

Nevada leads the nation in per capita meth use, experts have told lawmakers.

More than 40,000 people in Nevada use the drug, but the state only has

445 treatment beds.

But 38 percent of those polled favored boosting law enforcement
efforts, while 31 percent said money should go to prevention measures
and 26 percent supported more funds for treatment.

"I think the poll reflects the public's frustration with the meth
epidemic," said state Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie, D-Reno. "Everyone
would like to think that we can simply incarcerate the worst
offenders and solve the problem, but the meth epidemic is much deeper
than that.

"Every law enforcement official I've spoken to, from the officer on
the street to the chief, tell me the same thing: We cannot enforce
our way out of this problem," she said. "Our jails and prisons are
already full of meth addicts."

[Sidebar]

PRISON question: Do you favor the governor's plan to spend millions
for new prisons to deal with overcrowding, or would it be better if
some laws were changed to allow for early releases or fewer mandatory
maximum prison terms?

ALL Favor governor - 49% Change laws - 38% Not sure - 13%

Men Favor governor - 52% Change laws - 36% Not sure - 12%
Women Favor governor - 46% Change laws - 40% Not sure - 14%
Democrats Favor governor - 36% Change laws - 54% Not sure - 10%
Republicans Favor governor - 62% Change laws - 23% Not sure - 15%
Independents Favor governor - 50% Change laws - 37% Not sure - 13%
Clark County Favor governor - 47% Change laws - 40% Not sure - 13%
Washoe County Favor governor - 51% Change laws - 37% Not sure - 12%

METH QUESTION: In order to fight Nevada's methamphetamine addiction
problem, do you think more money should be directed toward
prevention, law enforcement efforts or treatment?

ALL Prevention - 31% Law enforce - 38% Treatment - 26% Not Sure - 5%
Men Prevention - 29% Law enforce - 44% Treatment - 23% Not Sure - 4%
Woman Prevention - 33% Law enforce - 32% Treatment - 29% Not Sure - 6%
Democrats Prevention - 37% Law - 24% Treatment - 38% Not Sure - 1%
Republicans Prevention - 26% Law - 53% Treatment - 12% Not Sure - 9%
Independents Prevention - 30% Law - 36% Treatment - 30% Not Sure - 4%
Clark County Prevention - 32% Law - 36% Treatment - 28% Not Sure - 4%
Washoe County Prevention - 29% Law - 41% Treatment - 24% Not Sure - 6%