About Nebraska Dept. of Correctional Services
The Nebraska Department of Corrections is in charge of keeping the Nebraska community safe, transforming the lives of offenders, and keeping them in secure prisons. On average, Nebraska DOC has a daily incarcerated population of 5,322. During the 2021 fiscal year, the department has admitted over 1953 offenders to various correctional facilities in the state.
NDCS is the second-largest agency in the Nebraska State government. The agency has about 2,300 staff members holding more than 150 different job titles. These team members drive the operations of Nebraska DOC and enable it to achieve its mission. Additionally, the department operates and manages ten correctional facilities in Nebraska, which houses lawbreakers and keeps the community safe.
On average, inmates serving their sentence in Nebraska corrections centers spend only 2.8 years of incarceration before the prison authority releases them. Therefore, the DOC must prepare them for life after imprisonment by equipping them with life and work skills. NDCS provides a wide array of rehabilitation and educational programs to all inmates under its custody. Before an inmate participates in any program, the correctional facilities provide a Risk/Needs/Responsivity assessment to determine the best programs for every inmate. The programs range from clinical, non-clinical to education programs.
Clinical Treatment Programs
Licensed behavioral health professionals deliver the Clinical Treatment programs which address the inmate’s behavioral health needs. The programs under Clinical Treatment include:
- Anger Management High Risk/ Need: Inmates with signs of high risk/needs related to anger or emotional dysregulation undertake this program. Clinicians provide them with instruction and practical sessions on anger control strategies.
- Strategic Treatment and Reintegration (STAR): NCCW provides an inpatient mental health setting where the professionals deliver the STAR program. STAR contains a wide range of topics such as coping skills and strategies, psycho-educational elements, medication management, and nutrition and physical wellness activities.
- Violence Reduction Treatment: This intensive treatment is for inmates with high risk for violent re-offense. These individuals include those with evidence of psychopathy, antisocial solid lifestyle or beliefs, or instrumental violence.
- Residential Substance Use Treatment: Most inmates in residential treatment programs have serious substance abuse issues. The substance use treatment, which lasts about six months, assists the inmates in recovering from substance abuse.
- Succeeding in Less Restrictive Housing: The Restrictive Housing Units provides this program. It entails motivations for personal change, relapse prevention strategies, risk factors for institutional violence, and cognitive distortions.
Non-Clinical Programs
NDCS staff members and volunteers deliver non-clinical programs that focus on how an individual thinks and behaves. Some of the unique non-clinical programs include:
- 7 Habits on the inside: Franklin Covey designed this program in partnership with the Colorado Department of Corrections. The 12-week program bases its principles on the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, which empowers inmates to succeed in and out of prison.
- Thinking for a Change: The National Institute of Corrections developed this program that focuses on changing offenders' criminogenic thinking behaviors.
- Second Chance Pups: This program selects volunteers from various prisons to interact with dogs and train basic obedience skills.
- Living Skills: This program provides inmates in the Special Management Unit with the necessary life skills to successfully reintegrate into the community.
Education Programs
The Nebraska DOC offers adult education in all its facility and operates a high school at the Nebraska Correctional Youth Facility. Individuals without a high school diploma can enroll in the educational program at NCYF to earn the NCYF Community High School Diploma. Additionally, they can complete GED classes to receive the State of Nebraska High School Diploma.
Besides the high school diplomas, NDCS offers life skills and parenting programs, English as the Second Language (ESL), prevocational and vocational, and correspondence courses. In 2016, Nebraska Correctional Education programs were among the top-rated programs in the US after realizing a 94% GED pass rate.
NDCS partners with colleges and universities such as Metro Community College, York College, University of Nebraska, and Wesleyan College. These institutions provide various courses to inmates in the correctional centers.
Cornhusker State Industries
Cornhusker State Industries is the correctional industries program of NDCS, which provides opportunities to about 500 inmates of both genders. CSI focuses on offering incarcerated individuals job skills to assist them to successfully reenter the outside world, obtain employment, and become tax-paying citizens. One of CSI's programs to inmates is The Prison Industries Enhancement Certification Program (PIECP).
Congress in 1979 created the PIECP work program, which encourages state and federal governments to provide employment opportunities to incarcerated individuals. Since 1987, CSI has been actively participating in the PIECP program. Currently, 63 inmate workers in Nebraska actively participate in the PIECP program.
CSI partners with private sector businesses to achieve the following:
- Generate products and services that create an opportunity for incarcerated individuals to make a positive contribution to the society
- Reduce the cost of imprisonment, compensate inmates' victims, and provide support to their loved ones
- Reduce the idleness of inmates
- Increase the skills and expertise of incarcerated individuals
- Improve the chances of the successful transition of inmates to the society
CSI also provides the inmate with an opportunity to learn and offer the following services:
- Custom Design: design/layout of large spaces like a courtroom, library, etc., and custom design of furnishing such as desks, credenzas, etc.
- Embroidery: logos, monograms, etc.
- Floor mats
- Laundry services
- Printing services
- Reupholstery, recondition, and refinish
Besides the services, CSI produces the following products:
- Furniture
- Braille products
- Clear bags
- Inventory products
- Nameplates and badges
- Janitorial and soap products
NDCS Inmate Services
While in prison, inmates incarcerated in NDCS correctional facilities can enjoy services like visitation and canteen services. The department values the connection between inmates and their loved ones since it plays a role in their rehabilitation. Each correctional facility in Nebraska has visitation rules and guidelines. Nevertheless, all visitors must register seven days before the actual visit. For each visit, NDCS allows four adults and a reasonable number of children.
Before booking an inmate visitation, visit the NDCS website to check the facilities currently allowing inmate visitation. You can click on your preferred facility for further information on authorized items, approved dress code, property searches, and identification requirements on the list of facilities allowing visitors.
Besides visiting, inmates' loved ones can send money, emails, E-cards, and photos to inmates in the correctional centers. JPay provides the system for loved to send emails, photos, and E-cards to inmates. However, JPay does not allow inmates to receive the following types of photos:
- Images of offenders’ information
- Photos that may instigate violence or illegal activities
- Nude or partial-nude images, including cartoons or drawings
- Pictures showing a character with massive amounts of money
- Images with hand signs like peace signs
Family members and friends can also send videograms to incarcerated individuals using the JPay services. The video grams can be up to 30 seconds long, and they are viewable on JPay tablets. It costs $1.25 to send a single videogram.
The Victim Services Program
The Nebraska DOC runs the Victims Service Program, which keeps the communities safe by offering education, advocacy, and support services to victims of the offenders' crime in Nebraska. The Victim Services Program provides the following services:
- Advocacy, providing support and education through the whole corrections process
- Assisting with NDCS victim or witness notification procedures
- Accompanying the victims to parole hearings
- Addressing the issues relating to incarcerated individuals under the jurisdiction of NDCS
- Helping victims, witnesses or concerned individuals understand inmate's status and movement
- Referral services and information concerning the restitution process
- Offender/Victim Dialogue Program
Concerned citizens and victims can receive notifications concerning their offender's information via the VINE link or NDCS Victim/Witness program. The Victim/Witness Notification Program notices victims, crime witnesses, family members, and concerned citizens. To receive the information, you must complete the Victim/Witness Notification form. Once you register, NDCS will send you a notification in case the following events occur:
- When an offender relocates to a Community Corrections Center
- Death of an offender while in incarceration
- When an inmate is on furlough lasting more than 24 hours
- Inmates escape from custody or return after being apprehended
- Discharge or other forms of release
- Inmate’s parole hearing, revocation of parole, or release to parole
Nebraska DOC Offender Locator
NDCS stores inmate records consisting of personal and official information of inmates housed in facilities across the state. The data in the inmate records include inmates' criminal histories, court information, current charges, and personal details like name and nationality. Inmates’ records may be public via the Nevada prisoner lookup or made available upon request.
Nebraska DOC inmate search provides public members to find information concerning the housing facility location of inmates. You can search for inmates using their DOC number or first or last name on the offender locator.
The search results display the following details:
- Inmate's personal information
- The facility housing the offender
- Parole eligibility and dates
- Release date
- Sentence type, and
- Other related information
Contact the Public Records Unit with queries via mail or email if you cannot locate an inmate using the Nevada prisoner lookup.