Resource: Group Studying Why Prison Population is Up While Crime Declines

Crime decreased 20 percent in Nebraska over the past 10 years, and adult arrests decreased 15 percent.

So why has Nebraska’s inmate population climbed 17 percent? Why are the state’s prisons at 157 percent of capacity? And what might explain the growth spike over the past two years?

A group of high ranking justice and state officials, along with the Council of State Governments Justice Center, are working to answer those and other prison questions, such as how to reduce corrections spending, lower the rate of repeat crimes and increase public safety.