LINCOLN — A staffing emergency in place since October 2019 at the Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln will soon be lifted.

Nebraska Corrections Director Scott Frakes announced Wednesday, June 1 that normal work schedules, and normal inmate activities, will return on July 18.

The State Pen had been on an altered, seven-day, 12-hour operations schedule due to a staff shortage. Visitation time was cut back, as well as limits on inmate recreation and rehabilitation programs.

Salary increases and hiring bonuses attracted applicants and provided an influx of 472 new hires, allowing the emergency to end.

There are now just 18 job vacancies in protective services at the penitentiary now, compared to 76 in December 2021.

The staffing emergency lasted longer than anticipated, Frakes said, “but throughout the pandemic, the schedule served us well while dealing with the challenges brought by COVID.”

Returning to a 16-hour operational day for inmates means four more hours a day for volunteer programs, recreation, and other pro-social activities, which improves conditions for inmates, Frakes said. Returning to 40-hour work weeks for most employees helps with their work-life balance, he said.

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