Nebraska Corrections Director Scott Frakes says he has theories about the unrest in the state prisons which has led to recent confrontations between inmates and guards, but no hard evidence to point to a cause.

Frakes, speaking to state lawmakers during a legislative hearing, says part of the problem is a lack of programs in the prisons

A lawyer for the committee, former state Senator Steve Lathrop, asks Frakes about recent prison violence

Frakes says he needs to improve the department’s track record on hiring and keeping good employees. He says that would allow him to offer the programs inmates need to reduce idleness and better prepare them for life on the outside.