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LB 387

Redefine a term under the Nebraska Treatment and Corrections Act

109th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Carolyn Bosn

Redefines core terms in Nebraska’s Treatment and Corrections Act (83-170) to standardize confinement, parole, and supervision, affecting inmates, Department of Corrections, and parole board

Title printed. Carryover bill
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Bill Summary · LB 387

Summary of Nebraska LB 387 (Introduction Jan 17, 2025)

Purpose and intent

LB 387 proposes to amend Section 83-170 of the Nebraska Treatment and Corrections Act by redefining several key terms used in the act. The bill repeals the original section and replaces it with updated definitions to clarify how terms related to correctional services are interpreted and applied. The primary goal appears to be to standardize terminology across the act, with a particular focus on terms related to confinement, parole, and supervision.

Key provisions (updated definitions)

LB 387 would redefine or clarify the following terms within 83-170, as used in the Nebraska Treatment and Corrections Act:

  • Board: Defined as the Board of Parole.
  • Committed offender: A person sentenced or committed to a department facility or to the department in other ways, excluding certain juvenile adjudications described in law.
  • Department: The Department of Correctional Services.
  • Director: The Director of Correctional Services.
  • Facility: Any center, community prison, reception institution, or similar facility operated by the department.
  • Good time: Time reductions granted under specific statutes (sections 83-1,107 and 83-1,108).
  • Maximum term: The maximum sentence provided by law or the maximum sentence imposed by a court, whichever is shorter.
  • Minimum term: The minimum sentence provided by law or the minimum sentence imposed by a court, whichever is longer.
  • Pardon authority: The power to remit fines/fe forfeitures and to grant respites, reprieves, pardons, or commutations.
  • Parole term: The period from release on parole to the completion of the maximum term, reduced by good time.
  • Person committed to the department: Any person sentenced or committed to a department facility.
  • Restrictive limited housing contact with (and related concept): A definition related to restricted movement and limited out-of-cell time, describing conditions of other offenders and significantly limited movement out of cell.
  • Solitary confinement: The status of confinement in an individual cell with solid, soundproof doors that deprives the inmate of certain types of contact (text appears garbled but the intent is to define solitary confinement as isolation in a single cell with limited contact).

Note: The draft text contains some garbled phrases related to cross-references (e.g., “Director of Supervision and” and “Director of Supervision and Services” with reference to section 83-1,101). The substantive effect is to redefine core terms and to repeal the old 83-170 language in favor of updated definitions.

Who/what would be affected

  • Inmates and offenders sentenced under Nebraska’s correctional system who are governed by the Nebraska Treatment and Corrections Act.
  • The Department of Correctional Services and its facilities, as well as the Board of Parole, through clarified definitions governing confinement, parole, and supervision.
  • Practitioners, judges, and staff who apply terms such as “maximum term,” “minimum term,” “good time,” and confinement statuses in case planning, parole decisions, and disciplinary actions.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Introduced: January 17, 2025.
  • Committee: Judiciary.
  • Hearing date: February 13, 2025 (Notice of hearing).
  • Status: Bill scheduled for a hearing; no final passage date provided in the available material.
  • Legislative action: Section 1 would replace the existing 83-170, repealing the original text and enacting revised definitions.

Potential impact considerations

  • By clarifying and potentially broadening or narrowing definitions (e.g., solitary confinement, restrictive housing, parole term calculations), the bill could influence sentencing, confinement practices, parole eligibility, and supervision strategies.
  • The exact operational impact would depend on the final wording and any accompanying fiscal notes or regulatory guidance issued during committee review.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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