LINCOLN- State corrections officials showed off the newest addition to the state prison system, pitching it as safer for both inmates and staff and better able to rehabilitate prisoners and retain security staff.

The $125 million addition to the Lincoln Correctional Center and Diagnostic and Evaluation Center includes two 32-bed units for inmates with acute mental illnesses and those needing medical care, as well as a 384-bed are to house the state’s most dangerous prisoners.

“The bottom line is you’re going to see a great prison,” said State Corrections Director Scott Frakes.

The Nebraska Legislature declined this spring to give the final go-ahead for a $270 million prison, opting to wait for a new master plan for the state prison system expected before the end of the year. But state lawmakers did set aside $175 million for the ultimate construction of the massive facility if approved in the 2023 legislative session and by a new, incoming governor.

Frakes did say that some of the 10 state senators who toured the facility remarked that they had a clearer picture of what the larger, proposed prison would look like.

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