In February, Gov. Pete Ricketts joined with Nebraska Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Heavican, Speaker Mike Hilgers and Senator Steve Lathrop to announce a collaborative effort to address the state’s ongoing mass incarceration crisis.
The effort hinges on an analysis led by the Crime and Justice Institute (CJI), which is focusing on sentencing, release and supervision.
Nebraska is dealing with dangerous levels of overcrowding and understaffing, “crisis mode on many fronts.” The information that the working group is studying belongs to all Nebraskans and we should all get a say on potential solutions.
The ACLU of Nebraska filed multiple public records requests and received material from multiple presentations from Nebraska Supreme Court officials. This comes after Gov. Ricketts mistakenly tried to block material from release. The PDFs are attached here for any Nebraskan who wants to read them.
As the inscription on the Nebraska State Capitol beautifully puts it, watchful citizens are “the salvation of the state.” We’re proud to advocate for open government in our words and actions.
Read the findings in the attachments below and then learn more about our work to stop the new prison plan.
