Nebraska senator opens legislative study on missing mental health treatment for people in the criminal justice system
LR370, introduced on March 26, 2018 by Sen. Matt Hansen of Lincoln, directed the Legislature's Judiciary Committee to review the lack of mental health treatment for people in the criminal justice system. The resolution text cites long wait times for openings at the Lincoln Regional Center for defendants ruled incompetent to stand trial, and the effect on Nebraska counties that house them while they wait.
It also called for looking at treatment alternatives for incompetent defendants and other inmates with mental health needs, including outpatient and community options. The resolution was referred to the Judiciary Committee on April 4, and the committee held its hearing on September 7, 2018.
The study is an early formal legislative acknowledgement of the jail-wait problem that Nebraska lawmakers returned to in 2022 with bills on county reimbursement and priority admission.
Source: LR370 - Mental Health in Criminal Justice System — Nebraska Legislature
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