Governor Jim Pillen joined leaders with the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services on Wednesday to break ground on a new prison that will replace the aging Nebraska State Penitentiary. The new facility will be located north of Interstate 80 at 70th and McKelvie Road in northeast Lincoln.
“Today is an important day for our agency, the state of Nebraska and the future of corrections,” says NDCS Director Rob Jeffreys. “The innovative, energy-efficient and sustainable design elements of this facility will create an environment for safe and transformation rehabilitation, as well as reduce long range operational costs and provide staffing efficiencies.”
Pillen says the facility will also provide opportunities for education, skills training, programming. “Things that are necessary as NDCS continues to pursue its Reentry 2030 initiative, launched this year,” said Gov. Jim Pillen. “Features of the new facility will benefit those who are incarcerated as well as the public servants who work there.”
Portions of the State Penitentiary campus date back to 1869. Over the decades it has been expanded and modified to maintain the facility’s viability. However, the facility’s age and configuration have made it difficult to operate as a modern correctional facility.
Jeffreys says the new prison will incorporate natural light and acoustics that facilitate proper sound levels throughout the facility. “These normative spaces will support the rehabilitative mission of the facility and the mental and physical wellbeing of the population and staff.”
The campus will include a maximum/medium custody compound adjacent to a minimum compound. Rehabilitative programming spaces will be located directly in housing units, with vocational spaces placed throughout the facility.
Grading on the property began in May and approximately 1.4 million cubic yards of dirt will be moved to level out the property and prepare for construction. Bidding for the facility construction contractor will begin later this year with an estimated facility completion date of May 2028.
