# Nebraska

No Nebraska state body was confirmed to certify Department of Correctional Services corrections officers or county jail officers as such; the Jail Standards Board sets binding hiring and training standards for jail staff, inspects every jail each year, and can ask a court to close one. Department rules limit restrictive housing and bar longer-term placement of vulnerable people. Since 2023 the State has required stab-resistant vests for every state corrections officer, moved parole supervision into the Department of Correctional Services, and made sexual contact by probation officers with people they supervise a felony. Since July 18, 2026, Department of Correctional Services employees whom the department designates as law enforcement officers must hold a law enforcement certificate. The Legislature’s statute and bill website could not be reached during the main check, so the other entries rest on the Legislature’s Unicameral Update and are dated by the computed general effective date.

Source: https://uscli.org/corrections-tracker/nebraska

## At a glance

- **Certifying body:** No state body that certifies Department of Correctional Services corrections officers or county jail officers as such was confirmed. For jails, the Jail Standards Board (Neb. Rev. Stat. 83-4,124 to 83-4,134, staffed by the Nebraska Crime Commission’s Jail Standards Division) sets binding minimum hiring and training standards for jail staff in Title 81 NAC but issues no individual certificate ([Crime Commission, Jail Standards](https://ncc.nebraska.gov/jail-standards)). Since July 18, 2026, a Department of Correctional Services employee “who is designated as a law enforcement officer by the department” is a law enforcement officer who needs a law enforcement certificate (LB764, amending 81-1401); that certification is covered on the [Nebraska Officer Ledger page](https://uscli.org/officer-certification-tracker/nebraska).
- **Statute:** Jail Standards Board: Neb. Rev. Stat. 83-4,124 to 83-4,134, as cited by the Crime Commission. Department of Correctional Services restrictive housing: 83-170, 83-173.02, 83-173.03, and 83-4,114, as cited in Title 72 NAC ch. 1. Rules: Title 81 NAC (adult jails), Title 83 NAC (juvenile detention), Title 72 NAC ch. 1 (restrictive housing). Statute text could not be read: nebraskalegislature.gov refused connections on October 20, 2026.
- **Minimum standards:** County jails: applicants for positions responsible for security or supervision of inmates must be U.S. citizens, at least 19, free of any unpardoned conviction punishable by a year or more in a penitentiary (with fingerprints taken at hire for a State Patrol check), and high school graduates or the equivalent ([81 NAC ch. 2, 004.01](https://ncc.nebraska.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/jail_standards/jail_rules_and_reg/CHAPTER2.pdf)). Department of Correctional Services hiring standards were not verified.
- **Basic training:** County jails: facility orientation within 3 months of employment, and at least 80 hours of initial training from the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center or a Board-approved equivalent within the first year, covering correctional legal issues, inmate supervision and discipline, medical and mental health screening and suicide prevention, use of force and self-defense, emergencies, report writing, and security and classification. It applies to administrators and employees who work over 200 hours a year with security or supervision duties. After a 2-year break a refresher is required; after 10 years the initial training must be repeated ([81 NAC ch. 2, 003.01 to 003.06](https://ncc.nebraska.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/jail_standards/jail_rules_and_reg/CHAPTER2.pdf)). Department of Correctional Services academy hours were not verified.
- **In-service training:** County jails: at least 18 hours of relevant in-service training each year after the first year, which may not be waived; first aid and CPR within 12 months, kept current; annual firearms qualification for armed staff; training for staff authorized to use chemical agents, other weapons, or mechanical restraints; annual emergency-plan training; and complete training records (81 NAC ch. 2, 003.07 to 003.13).
- **Decertification:** No individual certificate exists for jail staff or for undesignated Department of Correctional Services staff in the sources reviewed, so there is no decertification process for them. The Jail Standards Board enforces against facilities: it inspects each jail and juvenile detention facility every year and may petition the district court to close one that fails to comply. Revocation of law enforcement certificates, including for designated corrections employees, is on the [Officer Ledger page](https://uscli.org/officer-certification-tracker/nebraska). No public list for corrections staff was found.
- **Jail standards:** Jail Standards Board: 11 members appointed by the Governor, responsible for “the promulgation and enforcement of minimum standards for the maintenance, operation, and construction of adult and juvenile criminal detention facilities.” Jail Standards Division staff inspect each of the 72 active jails and 4 juvenile detention facilities every year and report to the Board, which meets quarterly; the Board may petition the district court to close noncomplying facilities ([Crime Commission](https://ncc.nebraska.gov/jail-standards)). The adult jail standards on training and staffing (81 NAC ch. 2) and on discipline, segregation, and restraints (ch. 6) show effective dates of August 8, 1980 and September 9, 1980 ([ch. 2](https://ncc.nebraska.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/jail_standards/jail_rules_and_reg/CHAPTER2.pdf); [ch. 6](https://ncc.nebraska.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/jail_standards/jail_rules_and_reg/CHAPTER6.pdf)).
- **Probation and parole officers:** Adult probation officers work for the judicial branch’s Office of Probation Administration. Parole officers work in the Division of Parole Supervision, which LB 631 (2024) moved to the Department of Correctional Services, according to the Unicameral Update. Training and certification requirements for either group were not verified, because the statutes could not be read.
- **Restrictive housing:** Department of Correctional Services: restrictive housing is to be “an alternative of last resort” used “in the least restrictive manner for the least amount of time.” Immediate segregation is short-term (30 days or less) and must be approved by the warden within 24 hours; extensions past 30 days need higher approval, past 45 days the Director’s, and the maximum is 60 days. Longer-term restrictive housing is reviewed every 90 days by a multidisciplinary team, and after 365 consecutive days every 30 days by the team and the Director. A member of a “vulnerable population,” as defined in Neb. Rev. Stat. 83-173.03(4), may not be placed in longer-term restrictive housing (72 NAC ch. 1, 003.01). The statute could not be read for this page; it is reported to cover people 18 or younger, pregnant, or diagnosed with a serious mental illness, developmental disability, or traumatic brain injury. Each inmate needs an individualized transition plan, and the Department reports yearly under 83-4,114 ([72 NAC ch. 1, July 2022](https://corrections.nebraska.gov/sites/default/files/title_72_chapter_1_rules_and_regulations-_july_2022.pdf)). County jails: no disciplinary isolation for more than 15 consecutive days or more than 30 of any 45 days, except after violence or attempted violence with administrator approval; safety-cell status reviewed every 24 hours and administrative segregation every 30 days ([81 NAC ch. 6, 002.02](https://ncc.nebraska.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/jail_standards/jail_rules_and_reg/CHAPTER6.pdf)).
- **Corrections use of force:** County jails: restraint equipment may be used only to prevent escape during transfer or to prevent self-injury, injury to others, or property damage, and only for the time absolutely necessary; non-routine use must be approved by the on-duty supervisor and documented ([81 NAC ch. 6, 005.03](https://ncc.nebraska.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/jail_standards/jail_rules_and_reg/CHAPTER6.pdf)). Initial jail training must cover use of force and self-defense (ch. 2, 003.02D). Any statute on restraining pregnant inmates, and any Department of Correctional Services use-of-force statute, was not verified.

## Changes, 2023 to 2026

- Jul 18, 2026 — **Probation officers barred from sexual contact with people they supervise** — LB 965 (2026, 109th Legislature, 2nd Session), incorporating LB 1123 and other bills · Passed April 10, 2026; July 18, 2026 is the general effective date, three calendar months after the April 17, 2026 adjournment (computed); the signing date and any operative date in the bill were not verified — As the Unicameral Update describes it, people in positions of authority, including probation officers and problem-solving court employees, are barred from sexual contact with those under their supervision. “The bill establishes penalties consistent with Nebraska law governing similar violations involving correctional staff, parole officers and school employees”: sexual penetration is a Class IIA felony and sexual contact a Class IIIA felony, and consent is not a defense. The act also contains the Brady-Giglio provisions of LB 1123, covered on the [Officer Ledger page](https://uscli.org/officer-certification-tracker/nebraska). — **For corrections staff:** Adult probation officers now face the felony exposure for sexual contact with supervisees that already applied to prison staff and parole officers. — [Unicameral Update, final passage](https://update.legislature.ne.gov/?p=41025)[Judiciary session review](https://update.legislature.ne.gov/?p=41152)[Sine die](https://update.legislature.ne.gov/?p=41090)
- Jul 18, 2026 — **Designated Department of Correctional Services employees must hold a law enforcement certificate** — LB764 (2026), amending Neb. Rev. Stat. 81-1401 · Effective July 18, 2026, as shown on the Legislature’s statute page; approved by the Governor April 14, 2026 — 81-1401(8)(a)(x) now includes in the definition of law enforcement officer “An employee of the Department of Correctional Services who is designated as a law enforcement officer by the department,” and 81-1401(8)(c) still excludes other department employees. Except for noncertified conditional officers, a law enforcement officer must hold a valid certificate or diploma established by the council (81-1401(8)(d)). It is the one 2023 to 2026 act found that brings any state corrections staff under certification. Certification and revocation are covered on the [Officer Ledger page](https://uscli.org/officer-certification-tracker/nebraska). — **For corrections staff:** If the Department of Correctional Services designates you as a law enforcement officer, you need a valid law enforcement certificate or diploma; other department employees are not covered. — [Neb. Rev. Stat. 81-1401](https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=81-1401)[LB764 bill history](https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=62841)
- Jul 19, 2024 — **Parole supervision moved to the Department of Correctional Services; parole board training; work release and reentry centers** — LB 631 (2024, 108th Legislature, 2nd Session), incorporating LB 348, LB 334, LB 922, LB 1126, and LB 1145 · Passed 39-4 on April 11, 2024; July 19, 2024 is the general effective date, three calendar months after the April 18, 2024 adjournment (computed); operative dates for the transfer were not verified — As the Unicameral Update describes it, LB 1145’s provisions transfer “the Division of Parole Supervision to the state Department of Correctional Services.” Board of Parole members must receive initial and ongoing training on ethics, cultural competency, implicit bias, and the board’s powers, and a member who misses 12 full days of hearings in a year is removed for neglect of duty. Parole may not be denied solely because the Department delayed or did not offer programming because of staffing shortages, maintenance, or funding. The act creates the Community Work Release and Reentry Centers Act, letting the Division and the Department contract with private providers, creates a Reentry Continuity Advisory Board, and sets minimum standards for reentry housing. — **For corrections staff:** Parole officers work within the Department of Correctional Services, and program gaps caused by staffing cannot be held against a parole applicant. — [Unicameral Update, final passage](https://update.legislature.ne.gov/?p=36498)[Judiciary session review](https://update.legislature.ne.gov/?p=36618)[Sine die](https://update.legislature.ne.gov/?p=36546)
- Sep 2, 2023 — **Stab-resistant vests for every state corrections officer** — LB 50 (2023, 108th Legislature, 1st Session), incorporating LB 265 · September 2, 2023 is the general effective date, three calendar months after the June 1, 2023 adjournment (computed); the Unicameral Update does not mention an emergency clause, and any operative date in the bill was not verified — The 2023 criminal justice act LB 50 incorporated LB 265, “which requires the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services to provide stab-resistant protective vests to each corrections officer.” LB 50 also changed problem-solving courts, parole eligibility, and habitual-criminal rules and created a housing program for parole violators. — **For corrections staff:** Every state corrections officer is entitled to a Department-issued stab-resistant vest. — [Judiciary session review](https://update.legislature.ne.gov/?p=34627)[Unicameral Update, LB 50](https://update.legislature.ne.gov/?p=34473)[Sine die](https://update.legislature.ne.gov/?p=34565)

## Enacted, not yet in force, pending, and bills that did not pass

- **Tuition waivers for correctional and youth detention officers (LB 608, 2025):** passed 36-12 on May 30, 2025. Correctional officers and youth detention officers, and their qualifying children, become eligible for tuition waivers under the First Responder Recruitment and Retention Act “beginning July 1, 2027,” usable only at the University of Nebraska; state reimbursement of 50 percent of the waivers begins July 1, 2028. [Unicameral Update](https://update.legislature.ne.gov/?p=39226)

Not entered because the enrolled texts could not be checked: the 2025 LB 150 act, which took effect on approval and includes LB 386 (a pilot program for mental health resources in county jails), LB 556 (lowering the youth detention age from 13 to 11), and LB 606 (removing obsolete references to the Division of Parole Supervision); and LB 640 (2025), on good time for city and county jail sentences.

The effective dates above are computed under Neb. Const. art. III, sec. 27 (three calendar months after adjournment), using the adjournment dates the Unicameral Update reports. A bill-specific operative date would control. Statutory section numbers and enrolled texts were not checked, because nebraskalegislature.gov refused connections on October 20, 2026; no workaround was used.

## Checked and unchanged

- 81 NAC ch. 2 (jail staff hiring and training): revised May 27, 2014; no 2023 to 2026 revision posted.
- Title 72 NAC ch. 1 (restrictive housing): the Department posts the July 2022 version; whether it was amended from 2023 to 2026 was not verified.
- Not verified: Department of Correctional Services hiring standards, academy hours, and in-service hours; probation officer training requirements; any statute restricting restraint of pregnant inmates.