Nebraska Behind Bars

A team of 11 undergraduate students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Journalism and Mass Communications dug into the issues confronting the Nebraska prison system. The Midwest Newsroom worked with the class and its professors to complete the project.

What could sentencing reform look like for Nebraska?

By Chloe Fitzgibbon

Published June 11, 2025 at 9:50 AM CDT

Nebraska ACLU policy fellow Jason Witmer stands in his office. His views on sentencing reform are informed by his family and his own experiences with incarceration.

As some lawmakers warm to the idea of rehabilitation, years of study by experts point to the need to change the way people convicted of crimes are sentenced.

Amid disputes about overcrowding in Nebraska prisons, the legislature continues to increase penalties for crimes.

This three-part audio series explores competing and conflicting visions of how best to reform the system.

Part 1: Tough on crime

State Senator Rick Holdcroft of District 36, whose priority bill is LB 215, a criminal justice reform bill, has visited every prison in the state. He said those visits led to a change in the way he thinks about corrections in Nebraska.

Tough on crime

While many reform bills are introduced in the Nebraska Legislature each year, they are often met with challenges by government officials and constituents. Learn more about the journey that Holdcroft's reform bill, LB 215, underwent in the 2025 Nebraska Legislative Session.

Part 2: Who's responsible?

In 2025, Nebraska lawmakers introduced a slate of new bills to increase prison sentences.

This isn't the first time legislators have pushed to put and keep criminals behind bars.

Who's responsible for Nebraska's prison overcrowding issue?

Part 3: Alternatives and the future

For less violent crimes, Nebraska judges have prison alternatives that address specific issues like addiction and mental health challenges.

These options help people like veterans and teens. The idea is to prevent recidivism and keep those who offend out of the prison system.

Alternatives and the future

Nebraska Behind Bars
These audio stories are part of a series produced by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Journalism and Mass Communications 2025 in-depth reporting class.

The Midwest Newsroom worked with students from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln from January to May 2025 to produce this series, "Nebraska Behind Bars."

The Midwest Newsroom is an investigative and enterprise journalism collaboration that includes Iowa Public Radio, KCUR, Nebraska Public Media, St. Louis Public Radio and NPR.

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