Listen: Corrections Director Says He's Pleased to End State Penitentiary's Staffing Emergency

June 2, 2022, midnight ·

Scott Frakes speaks at a legislative hearing
Director Scott Frakes testifies at a legislative hearing. (Photo by Fred Knapp, Nebraska Public Media News)

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The Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln will resume normal staffing operations next month after more than 2.5 years in an emergency state.

Nebraska’s Department of Correctional Services announced on Wednesday the state's largest prison would return to normal schedules on July 18. Director Scott Frakes said the decision was a result of recent hiring by the department.

"I’m not known for showing a lot of emotion about things, but this one has got me pretty excited," Frakes said on Thursday.

The state penitentiary had 76 job openings in protective service positions last December. Because of successful hiring, there are now just 18 openings. Frakes said pay increases and other hiring tactics have been a “game changer” for helping solve this problem of recruitment and retention.

"We've got to continue to recruit good people, and we've got to continue to work on keeping good people," Frakes said.

The state employee's union and the Department of Correctional Services reached an agreement to hike wages last November after a months-long battle.

Frakes said the boost in hiring has brought at least 231 employees from 38 different states in the last months. The ending of emergency staffing at the state’s largest prison means for a better experience for both the staff and prison population, Frakes said.

For inmates, they'll return to a 16-hour day, which will be four more hours of volunteer programs, recreation and other activities at night compared to what they get under emergency staffing. For corrections employees, they’ll return to 40 hour weeks after having worked four 12-hour shifts per week plus overtime since October 2019 when the emergency was implemented.

Frakes noted both the Tecumseh State Correctional Facility and the Reception and Treatment Center in Lincoln were also still under emergency staffing.

"We're making really good progress, but we're not there yet," he said.

Prison staffing is just one of the problems plaguing Nebraska's prisons, which are among the most overcrowded in the country. In 2021, the Nebraska State Penitentiary, for example, held 57.5% more inmates than its design capacity.