Nevada high court panel calls for guardianship system reforms

Most notably, the report calls for all people under guardianship to have the right to an attorney, which is not currently granted in Nevada.

News Story (Nevada)

Colton Lochhead
Las Vegas Review-Journal
September 29, 2016
READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Tags: Civil Right to Counsel, Guardianship, Justice for All

Organizations mentioned/involved: Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada


DETAILS

The commission was originally slated to be in place for just six months. But after several meetings that included heated and emotional speeches by victims of exploitation and their families, the commission extended its length of operation to more than a year and met 15 times. After seeing how deep the issues ran in the system, members voted to make the commission permanent.

“Some of the cases were just horrible to read, and there’s no doubt that many of these recommendations, if enacted by the Legislature, will stop some of those abuses,” said Barbara Buckley, executive director of the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, a nonprofit law firm that began handling guardianship cases earlier this year.

Buckley echoed Sprinkle’s thoughts that providing legal representation is the most impactful change recommended by the commission.