Nevada law allows treatment for some defendants in jails and community settings

The mental health Administrator may contract with a community mental health organization to run a treatment facility in a county jail or detention center. These options are for defendants found incompetent to stand trial and committed for treatment to help them regain competence. The county must have at least 100,000 residents, money must be available, a qualified organization must be willing and able to run the facility, and the sheriff must agree. The Administrator keeps oversight. The Administrator may also create a program offering treatment and help with returning to community life outside a forensic facility; services must consider public safety, the defendant’s needs, and available resources. These provisions take effect for preparation tasks upon approval and for other purposes on January 1, 2026.

The Administrator or a designee must review a committed defendant and determine the most appropriate placement. This applies to defendants committed for treatment after a court finds them incompetent and dangerous to themself or others. The court may order commitment when it finds the defendant incompetent, dangerous to themself or others, and in need of commitment to determine whether treatment can help them regain competence. The organization running a jail-based facility may not conduct the review. A jail-based placement is available only when the county, funding, operator, and sheriff’s approval conditions are met. These provisions take effect for preparation tasks upon approval and for other purposes on January 1, 2026.

A juvenile treatment facility’s administrative officer or designee must immediately accept a child placed there by juvenile court order. This applies when a juvenile court orders a child placed in a treatment facility under the cited juvenile law provisions. If the facility is not best situated to treat the child, its officer or designee must help the court identify a better-suited facility and provide treatment within the facility’s capabilities until one is found. This provision takes effect upon passage and approval.