LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The death rate among Nevada prisoners is now at a four-year high.
The Nevada Department of Corrections has confirmed there was a stabbing at High Desert State Prison on Monday. The victim in that attack was identified as Dylan Walters. He was taken to University Medical Center in Las Vegas where he died from his injuries.
The 33-year-old was serving a sentence of 16 to 40 months for attempted grand larceny. According to NDOC records, he began his sentenced in April 2024, which means he was 18 months into his sentence when he was killed. Those records also show that he was eligible to be released on parole on July 17.
Walters' death marks the 53rd death in the NDOC system so far this year. That's the highest number since 2021, when nearly 70 people died.
WATCH l Five inmate deaths in less than a month raise questions about prison safety
Families, friends, and advocates have been voicing their concerns about prison conditions for months, especially at High Desert. You may remember that in September 2024, prison officials swapped inmates between High Desert and Ely State Prisons.
In June, NDOC director James Dzurenda addressed the swap and stated staff weren't ready for it.
"What happened is when we moved the staff, the offenders, and the staffing numbers down to High Desert from Ely, the staff who were at the facility were not aware of what procedures they needed to really do, even though they were trained in it," Dzurenda said. "We revamped all the training for the correctional officers at High Desert, and we're already seeing a reduction in incidents."
We also asked Gov. Joe Lombardo whether or not the swap was done too quickly and if it had contributed to more prison violence.
"One doesn't have anything to do with the other," Lombardo said, telling Channel 13 the swap was done to address a staffing issue at Ely State Prison. "We moved those inmates from Ely into High Desert here in Southern Nevada because we were able to apportion or provide the appropriate amount of staffing for that level of risk."
WATCH l Rising deaths in Nevada prisons leave families searching for answers
NDOC leadership has pointed to illegal drugs and drug debt as contributing factors in violence within its facilities.
Earlier this month, Dzurenda told the Interim Finance Committee there has been a spike in overdoses. In 2021, there were 12 total. So far this year, there have been 127. When looking at homicide rates, Dzurenda says seven have been reported so far this year and six of them were related to drugs.
The NDOC is trying to crack down on the issue. In August, a Las Vegas man was arrested for supplying illegal substances to prisons in Nevada and California.
The increase in overdoses is also leading to more hospital visits, which means more overtime for officers. That is one of the biggest contributing factors to the department's budget shortfall, which is in the tens of millions of dollars.
Dzurenda also stated that in 2023, the legislature passed a bill that requires the department to provide inmates with original, physical copies of mail. He says that complicates some of their drug enforcement measures.
You can read that bill below.