IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Reentry Specialist Rob Kocks meets with an incarcerated individual to discuss his reentry plan at the Lincoln Correctional Center (LCC). Kocks has been with the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (NDCS) since 2016. His main job duties include conducting various levels of reentry meetings, attending parole hearings and reviews and working collaboratively with the Parole Board, Office of Parole, Probation Administration, Vocational and Life Skills partners and community outreach organizations. “Our primary goal is to prepare offenders for their reentry in to the community so that they don’t re-offend,”...Read more

The Nebraska State Penitentiary's (NSP) Native American Spiritual and Cultural Association (NASCA) held their annual symposium on March 26. "This evening's porgram is about renewal," Association Vice President Ron (Sun Bear) Dubray said. "We try to pass on to others through teachings." Association President Michael Sims noted that there are over 350 federally recognized tribes in the Unite States. The group performed an intertribal dance to unit all tribes. "We have a set of goals to show our family that we are growing," Sims said. "It's a way to restore our community's health."Read more

The Mindfulness Suite (also known as The Blue Room) creates a calming environment for incarcerated women to regroup at the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women (NCCW).

The suite – a repurposed and redecorated cell in the Strategic Treatment and Reintegration (STAR) mental health unit – opened in June 2016 to give women a space to call their own. Individuals can schedule hour-long appointments for quiet time in the room, which contains a couch, pillows, plants, sound-proof paneled walls, an olfactory machine with pleasant fragrances and a projector to play calming video and audio from a variety of outdoor scenes such as...Read more