Nevada Prisoner Spending Over 3 Times More Than Students

The headline sounds almost farcical. Nevada prisoner spending not only higher than what the state pays per student, but by nearly four times! But it is true based on data brought together by Voronoi.

The good news (or terrible news, depending on how you look at it) is Nevada is not alone.

The data, collected from the US Census Bureau, USA Facts and the the Bureau of Justice Statistics shows that Nevada spends an estimated $40,000 per prisoner per year. While that might sound quite rich, it is among the lowest in the country.

Arkansas spends the lowest per prisoner at around $23,000 per prisoner, while Massachusetts spends an absolutely ridiculous $307,000 per locked up prison resident. Everything from prison staffing to care, food and more. It doesn't cost nothing to house people. That said, it sounds like getting busted in the Bay State would pay more than most of us make.

So Nevada prisoner spending is among the lowest... how does it rank when it comes to per-student spending? Not so great.

According to the Nevada Policy Research Institute, the spending per student in Nevada was $11,565 in the most recent numbers. Much like prisoners, spending per student includes paying for all the teachers and faculty, supplies, technology and the like.

Thankfully the amount being spent per student is rising around the country. It wasn't long ago that Nevada was solidly in the 4-digit game. It is headed in the right direction, but the state still has a lot of work to do to catch up with the rest of the country.

It makes for a heck of a headline that Nevada prisoner spending is 345% higher than the state spends on students. That said, it is in no way exclusive to Nevada.

As a matter of fact, Nevada and every other state in the nation all spend far more per prisoner than per student. Arkansas may be the lowest difference, spending roughly $10,400 per student, while spending a lowest in the nation $23,000 per prisoner. About double.

Putting the spotlight on the disparity has made us realize that maybe the country's priorities are a bit sideways. That, and we would love to go to a Massachusetts prison.

Casino robberies in Las Vegas happen. But sometimes, they almost seem unreal.

Imagine trying to swindle nearly $770,000 from your job to ride private jets for no reason. Or, posing as a fake casino owner and managing to steal about $100,000 as a 23-year-old.

Well, these are real-life events that have occurred in the crazy environment of Las Vegas casinos.

The lucrative nature of a casino inspires movies, TV shows and sometimes crime. And at times, it can be a crime that almost seems like a thriller movie.

Yes. Crime can find its ways through casino doors. But, I guess this is what makes the whole culture of gaming more exciting in comparison to an insurance office.

From illicit meet-ups, drug trafficking and plain old robbery, the casino can be a magnet to those who are looking for some quick cash.

This past week, officials charged a former employee at the ARIA Resort & Casino for allegedly stealing more than $770,000, according to 8 News Now.

According to the 8 News Now Article, a 38-year-old employee named Brandon Rashaad Johnson was a hotel operations manager since 2013. He would create fraudulent room reservation, charge his credit card then refund the money back on to the same card. So, he allegedly created this convoluted system that allowed him to afford luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, he flew on private jets, and seemed to enjoy having spa visits, attending shows, and he even purchased a home.

Channel 3 reports that he's facing at least 13 charges and, "Court records indicate Johnson is being held at Clark County Detention Center on $100,000 bail. If he posts bond, he would be released on high-level electronic monitoring."

And this story is pretty tame compared to the other ones in casino history. Plus, let's not forget the time when a former Las Vegas Metro Officer robbed Red Rock, Aliante and the sportsbook at The Rio, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

We may not understand why people decide to rob casinos with -- what seems like -- half-baked plans or ridiculous plots. But, they make for great stories. Scroll down below for some of the wildest casino and hotel robberies in Las Vegas.

Would you believe us if we told you that a 23-year-old basically used social engineering to fool casino employees that HE was the actual owner? Well, this actually happened on June 17, 2023. Erik Gutierrez, now 24 posed as a casino owner by calling the Circa Hotel & Casino's cage. According to 8 News Now, Gutierrez basically lied to the casino workers and said he needed payment after the "fire department" did an inspection of the fire extinguishers.

"The payments totaled $314,000, $350,000, and $500,000, plus three smaller deposits, resulting in a loss of $1,170,000 to the hotel," the article from 8 News Now states. Police were able to track down Gutierrez and caught him red-handed. What's miraculous is that he was only 23 years old when he pulled off this heist. We still love the Circa, and we feel bad that this happened to them and to the employee!

We imagine that robbing a casino would take more than just a "simple plan." It probably requires many different solutions, possibilities and thinking. But, one 25-year-old man decided to rob the casino cages at Resorts World Las Vegas and The Venetian Las Vegas, according to Casino.org. Zubaid Ibrahim Al Jarmi robbed Resorts World in November of 2022, and he robbed The Venetian Las Vegas in January 2020. He used the same tactic both times, which involved a note. 

Essentially, he went to the casinos' cages and handed the teller a note with most likely a threatening message, according to KTNV. He was serving probation for the robbery that happened in 2020. But according to the Nevada Department of Corrections inamte search, it looks like he's serving prison time in High Desert State Prison.

"Give me the stacks or I will shoot you," an alleged robber told a worker, Fox 5 reported.

In April 2023, six casinos were robbed: Gold Coast, Green Valley Ranch, Silverton, Rampart, Palace Station and the M Resort. Fox 5 reported that police ended up arresting D’Shante Styles, 33 for these robberies. Like the one stated before, this man also used a note with threating language to coax casino cage workers to give him money. One note from a robbery said, “Put the 10 stacks in the bag or I will shoot!” What a great use of language. How did he get caught? Well, DNA evidence ultimately linked the suspect with the string of robberies.

In 2017, a group of "well-dressed" men burglarized Tēsorīni jewelry store in the luxurious Bellagio Las Vegas, CNN reported. At least one of the assailants was wearing a pig mask while robbing the jewelry store. This scene seems almost "Purge" like. The pig mask adds another layer of horror to this incident.

Channel 3 reported that the man who allegedly donned the pig mask was a 21-year-old named Sebastian Gonzalez. But in a twist of events, the alleged suspect said that he was forced to partake in the robbery after, "He said people in Mexico threatened to hurt his family if he didn't follow their instructions to be the group's lookout." 

This is absolutely despicable. A 26-year-old man named Cameron James Kennedy robbed the New York-New York in 2018, the Las Vegas Review-Journal wrote. However, he painted his face black and robbed the casino cage, which has many media outlets saying he used "blackface."

He allegedly robbed the casino out of $23,000 at gunpoint. The Daily Mail further reported that Kennedy was under federal supervision for previous bank robberies. And in fact, he cut his GPS ankle monitor just hours before committing his New York-New York robbery.