MEDIA CONTACT
Gillian Daniel, (402) 471-6585,
gillian.daniel@nebraska.gov
Lincoln, NE – The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) appreciates the work of the Office of Inspector General (OIG) and shares its commitment to ensuring youth in DHHS custody receive high-quality rehabilitative services in the safest environment possible.
As previously announced, DHHS has proactively implemented extensive enhancements to strengthen safety, oversight, and increase accountability across Nebraska's Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Centers (YRTCs), including designating a new YRTC Kearney Facility Administrator and Senior Administrator to oversee the YRTCs in Kearney, Hastings, and Lincoln. The department has strengthened incident reporting, expanded facility monitoring and oversight, increased youth access to services and supports, enhanced staff training, and reinforced accountability measures to help ensure youth receive care in a safe, secure, and therapeutic environment.
Independent verification shows these efforts are working. DHHS recently completed a reaccreditation audit conducted by the Commission on Accreditation for Corrections, an independent accrediting organization of YRTC-Kearney. The accreditation process is voluntary and is widely recognized as one of the nation's most rigorous external evaluations of correctional facilities. YRTC-K achieved 100% compliance on all 40 applicable mandatory expected practices and 100% compliance on 333 non-mandatory expected practices.
As part of the audit, the visiting committee interviewed all 65 youth in the facility, individually and in groups. Youth gave the team a “thumbs-up for medical, educational, library, recreation, food service, security, and program services," and told auditors they “felt that staff are helpful and concerned about their safety and well-being" and that the facility “is managed in a professional manner." No youth requested a private interview with the audit team. Staff similarly were described as “polite, cooperative, and conducted themselves in a professional manner," reported good morale, and said, “their training was excellent and applicable to their positions." No staff reported feeling unsafe at the facility.
Auditors also highlighted the facility's continuous improvement since its previous audit, including:
- Implementation of a Cognitive Behavioral Therapeutic Program
- A new risk assessment protocol at intake and every 90 days thereafter
- Expansion of the mental health team to seven full-time staff, including the addition of a clinical psychologist
- Implementation of an electronic medication administration record
- Construction of a new 48-bed Morton living unit, with completion expected summer of 2026
The final audit report concluded:
- “The facility was clean, well-maintained, and operated with professionalism. Commendable practices were noted in sanitation, medical care, and detainee access to legal services."
- “The audit team noted that staff across all departments demonstrated a strong understanding of ACA expected practices and a commitment to continuous improvement. Interviews with youths and staff consistently reflected a safe, respectful, and well-managed environment."
- “Overall, the audit team found the facility to be operating at a high level of professionalism and in alignment with best practices in correctional management."
DHHS is carefully reviewing the OIG's final report and will continue evaluating operations at Nebraska's YRTCs to identify opportunities for continued improvement. The Department remains committed to making decisions that are in the best interests of the youth in its care while maintaining the highest standards of safety, accountability, and rehabilitation.
DHHS's official response, which is included in the OIG's report, can be found here. For media inquiries, please refer to DHHS's official response.