The replacement for the old and overcrowded Nebraska State Penitentiary, a $350 million multi-custody institution, will start construction at a location in Northeast Lincoln the following year. 
New prison will be built in Northeast Lincoln toreplace old Nebraska State Penitentiary (Photo: iStock)
The existing Nebraska State Penitentiary, which has a capacity of around 1,200 convicts, will be replaced by the new prison, which has 1,500 beds.
In the recent report of Norfolk daily news, Governor Jim Pillen said that work on the multi-custody facility, which would replace the aging Nebraska State Penitentiary, will start the following year, in the fall of 2024. Rob Jeffreys, the recently appointed State Corrections Director, stated that the 500 current staff of the Nebraska State Penitentiary will be eligible to transfer to the new prison.
The state intends to construct a 1,500-bed jail at 112th and Adams Streets, southeast of the Lancaster Event Center. The 1,200-bed of Nebraska State Penitentiary will be decommissioned. Convicts and roughly 500 personnel who are now employed there will be transported to the new location. The new jail is anticipated to employ 1,000 workers
The new facility, which would replace the outdated and overcrowded Nebraska State Penitentiary, would be better suited to offering inmates rehabilitative services. “This investment will allow us to literally lead the nation in taking care of those who have a debt to pay to society,” Pillen said at a press conference.
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$350 million is the budget for replacing the Nebraska State Penitentiary. The investment is set to provide rehabilitation programming to inmates.
According to a recent news article from Fremont Tribune, although the Nebraska legislature has authorized investing $350 million to rebuild the Nebraska State Penitentiary, there are numerous doubts, concerns, and frustration regarding this project. The future location of Nebraska State Penitentiary is next to a housing development that is rapidly growing, and Lincoln Public Schools has opened its newest elementary school nearby. The chairman of the Appropriations Committee acknowledged that he expects residents of Lincoln and Lancaster County to have “some concerns,” but insisted that he was convinced the facility will be constructed with public safety in mind
Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha said that he was also made aware of the location on Thursday. A supporter of sentencing reform, Wayne said he preferred finding ways to reduce the number of people incarcerated in Nebraska rather than build a new prison for Nebraska State Penitentiary. Lincoln Sen. George Dungan also added that the state should put more money into programs and services for rehabilitation that prevent people from being incarcerated.
Despite the concerns and grievances, Jeffrey stressed throughout the interview that it is his responsibility to oversee the inmate population when they come to him. He will thus take all reasonable steps to get them ready for reintegration into society. The modern jail that officials intend to construct will be better able to offer rehabilitative programming to prisoners, Jeffreys and Pillen underlined on Thursday. Additionally, the facility’s closeness to Lincoln will give administrators the best opportunity to staff those programs.
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