Prison Overcrowding in Nebraska: Overview of The Problem

Overcrowding is a serious issue that creates many risks economically, socially, and politically. However, some overcrowding issues have been neglected by local and government officials who want to prevent a scare. Nebraska’s issue of prison overcrowding is analysed as an example in this essay as Nebraska's correctional facilities have been overpopulated for over a decade now, yet for some reason most locals aren’t aware of the issue the state might face. While local officials may have failed to inform their residents on prison overcrowding to prevent a panic, the lack of information may be critical to the potential outcome. Some possible solutions for Nebraska’s correctional facilities would be to expand the prisons and hire more correctional officers, or to prepare and release inmates on parole.

The State of the Problem: Prison Overcrowding in Nebraska

Prison facilities in Lincoln, NE have been going through a major overcrowding problem over the last several years. Grant Shulte, BA in journalism, reporter for Associated Press, states “The prisons housed 5,338 inmates in facilities that were designed to hold 3,375, placing the population at roughly 158 percent of its design capacity.” Maximum capacity has been met, and exceeded for years now causing a conundrum inside the prison. According to Paul Hammel, state reporter, claims “This causes a panic and discomfort to local residents because there is a large number of inmates who are eligible for release, some inmates are too dangerous to be released back into the public. These inmates are going to be ones who have committed high rate crimes, such as murder, assault, etc., who have struggled to rehabilitate themselves and who have gotten into trouble many times in prison”. If the overpopulation issue keeps increasing the way it currently is those types of inmates listed above have a strong potential of being on the street with everyone else in Nebraska. Furthermore, Senator Steve Lathrop, chairman of the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee, argues “state officials will end up staring at an emergency if they don’t act now to release more inmates in a safe, controlled manner.” When prisoners are not released from overcrowded prisons in Nebraska, a wide range of issues will follow, forcing two of these issues on staff and inmates and making the jail a more dangerous place.According to the documentary “Shocking Truth in US Prisons,” prison is a “World of fear and intimidation, a world where almost anything can happen.” You never know in the world of jail when a fight might break out. There are only two to three guards per dozen prisoners in some jails. The state prisons in Nebraska were extremely short of employees, leaving 300 job opportunities throughout the prison system. This only makes the overcrowding problem worse because the prisoners and staff have an unequal proportion.

Although the problem of overcrowding is becoming more prominent in Nebraska state prisons, there are solutions to this difficult situation. One of these approaches is the widening of jails and the recruitment of more police. This approach appears to be a great one, but there is plenty of contradictory information. Susan Campers, in her article 'A Failing Correctional System: State Prison Overcrowding in the United States.”, claims “Expanding prisons has been a solution that has been tried and failed. Expanding prisons will only make more space to incarcerate more inmates, resulting in an even bigger number of inmates and an overcrowded prison once again.” The main problem with the solution is that it’s only temporary, and will buy Nebraska a limited amount of time. Expanding prisons is also negatively impacting the residents by wasting their tax dollars for a nonpermanent fix. According to the documentary, “The Shocking Truth in U.S. Prisons”, prisons are locking up too many inmates, which is causing major overcrowding and a waste of tax dollars. If prisons are made greater in size, it’ll only make the overcrowding problem an even bigger problem. 

During cases like this, prisoners outnumber the guards to a great extent, leading guards to fear security when a fight or riot breaks out. Nevertheless, assaults on prisoners and officers and demonstrations have resulted in the death of prisoners and serious injuries to staff. Amy Miller, social justice activist, proclaims “Since overcrowding causes more and more inmates into being crammed into small spaces, prisoners tend to group together with their race and ethnicities. With so much time on their hands, inmates run out of things to do and end up assaulting groups of other races.” This poses the issue of segregation. According to writer Doreen McCallister, in her article “Two Inmates are Killed in Nebraska Prison Disturbance” in March of 2017, a riot broke out in Nebraska’s Tecumseh State Correctional Institution. Two inmates were murdered and several staff severely injured. Associated press stated 'That riot, which also left several staff members injured, involved several hundred inmates in three living units, a gym and a courtyard.”  This not only proves how overcrowded results in violence, but also proof on how serious riots can get. 

Planning for Overcrowding: Urgency and Rehabilitation Programs

There are already many inmates who are eligible for parole but have not been given release by the State Board of Parole; if prisons in Nebraska are willing to better prepare their prisoners, they can release more prisoners and make the process easier. Early release should also be considered for the disabled, the aged and those with good behavior. If they are not detrimental to public safety, jails in Nebraska will be able to work to help them release early. The most important details of this solution are prisoners who are ready for release and need to be properly prepared by taking various types of rehabilitation programs, depending on their crime, that are most likely required for release. 

When mentioned earlier, if prisons in Nebraska are still overcrowded by 1 July 2020, an overcrowding situation will be declared and the Board of Parole of the Nebraska prison system  will have to release prisoners immediately, so it's better to start planning and releasing them now. With this being said, the Nebraska prison system needs to work on getting inmates into rehabilitation programs faster or allowing them to do rehab while on parole, so that they’re released and soon as possible. According to writer Paul Hammel in his article “Nebraska Urged to Prepare More Inmates for Parole to Ease Overcrowding,” argues, “this could reduce the number of inmates by 400-500 people, which will reduce the 140 percent capacity overcrowding number.” This number is enough for the Nebraska prisons from going into an overcrowding emergency. Hammel also states, “Nebraska’s State Board of Parole is working on allowing inmates who are eligible for parole to do rehabilitation programs after they’re released instead of before.” 

The last opposition to the early release of prisoners is the issue of parole. According to Paul Hammel, “there are many inmates who are eligible for parole, but have not yet accomplished rehabilitation courses, that are usually required upon release by the State Board of Parole.” Prison is supposed to be a place for recovery, but when prisoners can not get as quickly as expected into rehabilitation programs, it makes it very difficult to let them go. In addition, Rosalyn Cotton, head of the five-member State Board of Parole, states, “many inmates do not win parole because they’re high risk inmates, there’s too long of waiting lists for rehab programs or they decline release.” This also causes major problems with releasing inmates.

Conclusion  

To conclude, legislators in Nebraska must address the issue of jail overcrowding in jails in Nebraska by increasing their number of prisoners. State prisons in Nebraska have exceeded the number of inmates that their jails could accommodate, causing a serious issue of overcrowding. Including improper use of solitary confinement, lack of health care, jail violence, short-term personnel and issues with recovery. Too many unnecessary problems are caused by overcrowding in prisons; these issues need to be addressed immediately. Prisons are set up for prisoners not only to serve their time, but also to rehabilitate themselves, but there have been so many situations in which they cannot be rehabilitated. The goal here is to minimize overcrowding in prisons in Nebraska and to rehabilitate.

Works Cited

• Campers, Susan M., 'A Failing Correctional System: State Prison Overcrowding in the United States.” Pell Scholars and Senior Theses, 2012, Paper 79, pp. 1-17.
• Hammel, Paul. “Nebraska Urged to Prepare More Inmates for Parole to Ease Overcrowding.” Omaha World Herald, 7 April 2018, http://www.omaha.com/news/nebraska/nebraska-urged-to-prepare-more-inmates-for-parole-to-ease/article_9fde2fb4-e5d4-5a5a-8285-9a626bd2e93f.html.
• McCallister, Doreen. “Two Inmates are Killed in Nebraska Prison Disturbance.” The Two-Way, 3 March 2017, https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/03/03/518279462/2-inmates-are-killed-in-nebraska-prison-disturbance.
• Miller, Amy. “Overcrowding In Nebraska’s Prisons Is Causing a Medical and Mental Health Care Crisis.” ACLU, 16 August 2017, https://www.aclu.org/blog/prisoners-rights/cruel-inhuman-and-degrading-conditions/overcrowding-nebraskas-prisons-causing.
• “Nebraska Prisons Head Says Overcrowding Emergency Is Likely.” U.S. News & World Report, https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/nebraska/articles/2019-01-18/prisons-head-says-nebraska-overcrowding-emergency-is-likely
• “Prison Documentary 2017: SHOCKING TRUTH in US Prisons - Life In A US Prison - Documentaries 2017.” YouTube, uploaded by DocoZone, 22 March 2017. Acceded 28 June 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkVbDEPUR84. Acceded 28 June 2018.
• Schulte, Grant. “Nebraska Prisons Head Says Overcrowding Emergency Is Likely.” AP NEWS, Associated Press, 18 Jan. 2019, https://www.apnews.com/bed6772a5abc4261a0c297c5be8afa8b.