Judiciary Committee hears NDCS update

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - For the first time in a while, we’re hearing publicly from NDCS Director Scott Frakes.

This time in a hearing in front of state senators, testimony Thursday included everything from COVID-19 to staffing to the potential for new facilities to be built to aid with overcrowding.

Director Frakes said Thursday NDCS currently has 19 inmates who are positive for COVID-19 and 232 who have recovered.

So far, two male inmates have died from COVID-19.

Facilities like the Nebraska State Penitentiary remain on emergency operations due to the ongoing pandemic.

“Shifted from an emergency need driven simply by staff vacancies to a combination of true vacancies and roster vacancies due to the virus,” said Frakes. “If it weren’t for the pandemic the pen would have returned to a 16-hour operational day sometime this summer.”

Director Frakes says like many operations around the county COVID-19 is difficult to mitigate but said that overcrowding, specifically in places like housing units, is not helping fight the spread.

Another topic discussed at length, a proposed 1,600-bed NDCS facility.

When asked about the possibility Doug Koebernick, the Inspector General of the Nebraska Correctional System advised against it.

“A facility that large would probably need 400 to 500,” said Koebernick. “That’s a lot of people and we don’t have those people right now.”

Director Frakes says the facility is needed.

Saying in the next ten years at least half of the units at the State Penitentiary will be obsolete.

With five high-security units designed to hold 400, which usually hold anywhere from 700 to 750 is the first to go.

“Unless a complete remodel and gut and rebuild of the high-security units, all five of those, they don’t have ten years left in them,” said Frakes.

Director Frakes says while the facility is still in the hypothetical stages NDCS would be looking at areas potentially near the Omaha metro, which would give them a larger pool of applicants to staff it.