Southern Desert Correctional Center

Southern Desert Correctional Center
Map
Location20825 Cold Creek Road
Indian Springs, Nevada
Coordinates36°30′54″N 115°33′20″W / 36.51500°N 115.55556°W / 36.51500; -115.55556
StatusOpen
Security classMedium
Capacity2149
Opened1982
Managed byNevada Department of Corrections
WardenGabriela Najera

Southern Desert Correctional Center (SDCC) is a state prison for men located in Indian Springs, Clark County, Nevada, owned and operated by the Nevada Department of Corrections.[1] The capacity is 2149 inmates. Most are medium security.

This facility should not be confused with the Southern Nevada Correctional Center, a state facility at Jean that closed in 2008, or the Nevada Southern Detention Center, a private prison at Pahrump run by Corrections Corporation of America under contract with the United States Marshals Service.

History

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Southern Desert Correctional Center opened in February 1982 with seven 102-cell housing units, one of which housed federal prisoners until the NDOC took it over in 1987. A new 200-cell housing unit opened in 1989, and two 240-bed dormitory-style housing units were added in March 2008, bringing the population capacity from 714 in 1982 to its present capacity of 2,149.[1]

On September 23, 2022, an inmate escaped from the facility. Porfirio Duarte-Herrera, one of the perpetrators of the 2007 Luxor bombing, used battery acid to weaken the window of his cell and created a dummy, possibly of cardboard, to fool the guards after exiting through it. His absence was not noticed for several days.[2] Officers only found out he was missing after other inmates informed them of his absence.[3] Duarte-Herrera was recaptured on September 28 at a bus stop in Las Vegas awaiting a bus to Tijuana, Mexico. Following this, Charles Daniels, the director of the NDOC, resigned at Governor Sisolak's request.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Southern Desert Correctional Center". Nevada Department of Corrections. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  2. ^ Murphy, Vanessa (28 September 2022). "Prison escapee climbed out of cell window, over barbed-wire fence, sources say". 8 News Now. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  3. ^ Andre, Drew (5 October 2022). "Another inmate alerted officers of escaped convict at Nevada prison". Fox 5 Vegas. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  4. ^ "Nevada prison escape, resignation raises political stakes before midterm election". Reno Gazette Journal. 3 October 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.