Lawmakers look to improve juvenile justice in Nebraska

Published: Oct. 17, 2019 at 4:35 PM CDT
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Lawmakers are trying to figure out the best way to rehabilitate troubled youngsters in Nebraska. Thursday, the judiciary committee took the Juvenile Justice public hearing on the road to Metro Community College in South Omaha.

For three hours the committee listened to testimony ranging from truancy to detention. Some of the most powerful testimony came from the young people who had been in the system as a child.

By and large, they urged the state to limit and ban the use of solitary confinement. Most of the young people had been subjected to solitary confinement -- also known as restricted housing -- in other states.

“The longest was 11-days straight. I had no contact. I ate in my room. I slept in my room. They took my bed. I just had four walls,” said Josh Reed, who was recently elected the mayor of Boys Town.

"I've seen shadows that aren't there, and I've heard whispers coming from the walls. Everyone could hear me singing at night because I knew my voice was the real one," said Alesia Sizemore.

Last year, there were nearly 2,700 young people who were put in solitary confinement in Nebraska.