Nevada prison officials say they're adding more guards and training officers how to use rubber bullets in an effort to end deadly shootings behind bars.
But they defended the presence of shotguns in prisons during a meeting Thursday of the Board of State Prison Commissioners.
Nevada Department of Corrections Interim Director E.K. McDaniel gave an update on how the state is responding to recommendations from a prison use-of-force audit released in September.
The report was commissioned as Nevada faces lawsuits over prison shootings, including one at High Desert State Prison in 2014 that left an inmate dead.
It recommended the state reduce the routine use of birdshot. McDaniel said the state's new tools reduce the need for lethal force, but said it remains a valuable and potentially life-saving last resort.
