OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Officials across the nation are closing prisons as crime rates drop and views about drug use change, but not in Nebraska, where the governor is pushing for a new $230 million prison to relieve overcrowding and house a steadily rising inmate population. It’s not certain that lawmakers will support Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts’ plan to build a 1,512-bed maximum security prison, but the fact that the state is considering what would amount to a 37% increase in bed space runs counter to most states. California, Missouri, Connecticut and others have announced plans to shutter prisons because of declining inmate numbers in their states.
