Nebraska Chief Justice Mike Heavican warns lawmakers budget cuts could doom their efforts to address prison overcrowding.
Heavican pointed out during his State of the Judiciary address to the Unicameral, all three branches of government bought into LB 605, the Justice Reinvestment Act. . .
Heavican says he was assured the move to expand probation in an effort to send fewer offenders to prison would be adequately funded. He says the 8-point-2 Million dollars in budget cuts recommended for the judiciary by Governor Ricketts threaten those efforts and will force judges to send offenders to prison at a much higher cost.
Heavican notes it costs 35-Thousand dollars a year to house inmates in prison, while it costs 10-Thousand dollars a year at most to supervise someone on probation.
