Corrections Director testifies in front of Judiciary Committee on staffing emergency

LINCOLN - The Corrections Director of the Nebraska State Penitentiary testified in front of the Nebraska Judiciary Committee on Friday. This is around 24 hours after he declared a staffing emergency.

"Until you get the staffing up, there's turnover," said Nebraska Senator Steve Lathrop. "The mandatory overtime is driving people out of there and you can't get ahead of it."Director Scott Frakes put the State Penitentiary on lock down until next week. Frakes says that it's to implement a new 12-hour staffing plan which will require mandatory overtime. He hopes to move on from that program in six months, when they fill enough job openings.

Members of the committee brought up potential problems caused for inmates due to the staffing emergency. While Frakes said that inmate's basic needs were being addressed, he also noted that recreation for all prisoners was being decreased and that confinement was being increased due to the emergency.

"It seems to me very unwise to take away time or activities to wind down from a hard day," said Nebraska Senator Ernie Chambers. "And to me all time in prison is hard."

A new program is giving new corporal hires a $10,000 bonus spread across three years. Current employees will get an extra $500. Frakes said that while he doesn't expect the bonus to fix the problem, he believes it will help in the right direction.