Welcome James Dzurenda, Director for the Nevada Department Of Corrections

James Dzurenda will return as the director of the Nevada Department of Corrections starting Monday under the leadership of Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo. Dzurenda previously headed the department for more than three years under Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval.

Sandoval served as Nevada governor from 2011 until 2019.

“I am very honored and excited to be returning to the State of Nevada as Director for NDOC,” Dzurenda told the 8 News Now Investigators. “I am so thankful that Governor Joe Lombardo has put his trust and confidence in me to run the corrections agency in a time where it is crucial to bring back the importance of Public Safety and reducing community victimization by raising the standards in the correctional system.”

Dzurenda was previously the director from March 2016 to August 2019. He then worked for the city of North Las Vegas as a consultant for less than a year and then as the sheriff in Nassau County in Long Island, New York, for nearly three years. Dzurenda also previously worked in leadership roles at the Connecticut Department of Corrections.

Under Dzurenda’s leadership as NDOC director, the department removed the use of bird shots from prison facilities and replaced them with rubber bullets. Dzurenda also tried to address staffing issues and called for better pay for correctional officers.

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