Jun 29, 2021

'Staffing emergency' prompts longer shifts at 2 prisons

Posted Jun 29, 2021 11:34 AM

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Employees at two Nebraska prisons will have to work longer shifts and may be asked to clock in at a facility where they don’t normally work to compensate for staffing shortages.

Director Scott Frakes says he has declared a “staffing emergency” at the Lincoln Correctional Center and the Diagnostic Evaluation Center, located next to each other in Lincoln.

Prison officials will implement 12-hour shifts for some employees, up from the usual 8.

Frakes says the move was driven largely by a slowdown in hiring, similar to what employers have faced with the tight labor market in Nebraska and nationally.