By Paul Hammel
World-Herald Bureau
LINCOLN — Nikko Jenkins isn’t the only prison inmate who hasn’t been prepared to re-enter society.
A new report indicates rehabilitation programs in Nebraska prisons are inadequate and have not kept pace with a growing population of inmates. The lack of treatment options has exacerbated overcrowding, risks public safety and could violate state laws, according to the report.
Two state senators said they were alarmed by the report, which indicates that only about 13 percent of prison inmates were enrolled in anger management, substance abuse and sex offender treatment. The report also said about 1 in 7 inmates, or 708, were on waiting lists for treatment. Some inmates were blocked from being paroled because they couldn’t get into required rehab.
The lawmakers said the lack of available rehabilitation illustrates a broken and neglected state corrections system, which has seen prison populations grow by 11.5 percent over the past five years but funding increase by only 3.5 percent.
“I’ve never seen any system quite so broken, and I’m not overstating that,” said State Sen. Brad Ashford of Omaha, who is drafting a bill on prison reform.
Full story: Nebraska prisons failing at rehabilitation programs, report finds