A decade ago, Nebraska’s corrections department allowed hundreds of inmates to leave prison early through a program that few — including judges, lawmakers and the public — knew existed. Corrections leaders eventually scrapped the early-release scheme shortly after probing lawmakers revealed it.

Now, as the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services continues to grapple with overcrowding and converts one prison into an immigration detention center, it is trying to create a similar program. It’s already prompting pushback, including from lawmakers in both political parties.

“What you’re saying is, ‘OK, we don’t really think the judges knew what they were doing, or this Legislature (knew what they were doing) when they said what factors to consider. We just think, internally, NDCS can make those ultimate determinations.’ And I, respectfully, disagree with that,” said state Sen. Carolyn Bosn, a former prosecutor who chairs the Judiciary Committee.

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