Nebraska prisons still struggling with hiring, retention

Nebraska’s corrections department is still struggling to hire and retain prison employees but has seen improvements in the last four months, the department director said.

Department of Correctional Services Director Scott Frakes made his comments during a budget hearing with lawmakers. His testimony followed a prisoner uprising Thursday that left two inmates dead at the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution, which has more than 50 job vacancies. The entire department has 157 job openings.

Corrections officials have said the prison was adequately staffed during the riot. But union officials say prison workers are frequently asked to work overtime because of employee turnover and unfilled jobs, which drains their morale.

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