Proposed bill in legislature for prison overcrowding sparks concerns of county jails

HASTINGS, Neb. (KSNB) - LB921 would require all people sentenced for Class 3, Class 3A, and Class 4 felonies or if a prison sentence is less than a year to be housed in county jails instead of Nebraska prisons.

While the bill is meant to help with overcrowding at the state level, counties, such as Adams, are already making sure there are enough beds for their current inmates.

Adams County Sheriff John Rust said their county jail, currently, is near capacity and is having to house their inmates in other county jails.

He noted the cost of housing their inmates at outside facilities isn’t cheap, and if LB921 were approved, it could come with an even bigger price tag for the county.

“There’s already a large burden on the county with the new jail facility that should help that, but in turn, if this would happen, it could cause even our facility to go back to having issues again,” Rust said.

Rust also said, if the bill were passed, the property tax for Adams county residents could increase.

Local4 News also reached out to state Senator Steve Lathrop, who introduced LB921. While he was unable to speak in person, he provided a brief statement:

“LB921 is one of two viable approaches to alleviate prison overcrowding in Nebraska. I appreciate Senator John Cavanaugh’s decision to prioritize the bill. I look forward to the debate.”