If Nebraska will take a few steps, it could reduce its prison population and avoid spending hundreds of millions of dollars to build a new prison.
State lawmakers have received the final prison reform report developed by the Council of State Governments Justice Center and the 19-member Justice Reinvestment Working Group.
Marc Pelka with the Justice Center says better use of probation, increased supervision of inmates released from prison, and improvements in parole supervision could reduce the state prison population…over time. . .

 

Senator Heath Mello of Omaha says if legislators fail to follow a prison reform plan, they will have to consider building a new prison…or face a lawsuit on prison overcrowding. . .

The prison reform plan calls for spending an additional 33-Million dollars…but, it says that will allow the state to avoid spending an additional 306-Million on new prison beds.