LINCOLN - The ACLU of Nebraska called on state senators to make "meaningful smart justice reforms" in a new report released earlier this week.

The "Statehouse-to-Prison Pipeline" is an analysis of the state's criminal justice system and the actions taken by the legislature over the last five years since the ACLU's last report.

"Although this report identifies areas of progress," the report said, "too many concerns noted five years ago have either worsened or remained largely unchanged."

The new analysis came as a result of the Department of Correctional Services facing a staffing shortage while state leaders have talked of building a new state prison.

"The ACLU is driven by extremist policies that focus on letting criminals out of prison rather than ensuring Nebraskans are safe," Gov. Pete Ricketts said in a statement. "My focus as Governor of Nebraska is to protect public safety, not kowtow to out of touch liberal agendas."

The Nebraska Department of Correctional Services Director, Scott Frakes, cited that it would be more cost-effective to build a new $230 million prison than it would be to renovate the aging state penitentiary.

The ACLU, however, would prefer the state's leaders to instead combat the issues and policies that have led to the overpopulation of the prisons and the subsequent disproportional staff-to-inmate ratio.

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