LINCOLN- Nebraska Director of Corrections Scott Frakes announced Thursday that he will be leaving his $255,00-a-year post in October. Frakes was hired by Gov. Ricketts in 2015. At the time of his hiring, the Nebraska Department of Corrections was facing several large problems, including prison overcrowding, high turnover of staff, and the mistaken, early release of several inmates.

Before working in Nebraska, Frakes was employed at the Washington state prison system, where he worked to correct sentencing miscalculations and reform the state's solitary confinement policies.

Frakes has been a key voice, alongside Gov. Ricketts, in the push to open a new $270 million, 1,500-bed prison. To solve the issue of rampant turnover, Frakes has increased staff salaries at prisons in Lincoln and Tecumseh. Despite his push to keep workers, however, staffing emergencies still occur at two Nebraska prisons.

In a press release, Frakes stated that he was "proud of the many accomplishments the agency has achieved during my tenure. Seeing those things come to fruition, to the benefit of staff members and our inmate population, has been enormously satisfying."

Gov. Ricketts lauded Frakes, saying he was a "highly effective leader," and that he "guided the agency through the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic."

Since being hired in Nebraska, Frakes has automated the sentencing calculation function, raised salaries and improved working conditions for corrections staff, and merged two facilities into the Reception Treatment Center.

In the past three years, the state's recidivism rate has fallen to 29.8%, and staff turnover is projected to drop to 16% this year from 30% in 2021.

Alongside Frakes, State Fire Marshal Chris Cantrell will also be leaving his position in October. Cantrell has been influential in forming the state's first All-Hazards Incident Management Team, launched a mobile inspection process for pipeline inspections, and reintegrated Nebraska Forest Service Firefighters into the Wildland Incident Response Assistance Team.

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