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State Reform Profile

Nebraska

Nebraska has conducted justice reinvestment and repealed the death penalty. Racial disparities in Lincoln/Omaha remain a concern.

ALTREFORM COMPOSITE80/100

Key Statistics

Incarceration Rate
318
per 100,000 residents
Annual Cost
$38K
per incarcerated person
3-Year Recidivism
60%
reincarcerated within 3 yrs
Racial Disparity
8.1×
Black vs. White incarceration
Alt. Programs
19
active diversion programs
Reform Initiatives
6
tracked by AltReform

Incarceration by Race

NE Overall318
National Avg568
Black (est.)1,545
White (est.)83

Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents. Racial estimates based on BJS/Sentencing Project methodology.

Recidivism Rate

60%3-year recidivism
This stateNational avg: 67%

Percent of people reincarcerated within 3 years of release. Source: BJS recidivism data series.

Cost vs. Alternatives

$38K
incarceration/yr
vs.
~$5K
diversion/yr

Active & Passed Reforms

3 initiatives

LB 605 – Justice ReinvestmentView full details →

Reduced mandatory minimums for drug offenses, redirected savings to treatment.

PassedSentencing2015
AltReform Score79/100

LB 1011 – Death Penalty RepealView full details →

Repealed capital punishment (legislature overrode governor's veto).

PassedSentencing2015
AltReform Score88/100

Diversion Enhancement ActView full details →

Expanded pre-prosecution diversion programs.

ActiveDiversion2021
AltReform Score74/100

Data Sources & Methodology

Reform data sourced from state legislative records, BJS Criminal Justice Statistics, the Vera Institute Incarceration Trends dataset, and The Sentencing Project. AltReform prediction scores (0,100) are generated by our ML model trained on 20+ years of state-level reform outcomes, weighting recidivism reduction, racial equity impact, cost-effectiveness, and political feasibility. Statistics are the most recent available (2021,2024).

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