A series of two systems.

There are two major systems, the police and justice systems, that we’re digging into because we’ve started to understand just how little we know about them and that the events that have occurred over the last couple of months stem from centuries of injustice fed through these systems. To really look at how we can change them for the better we also need to look at how they came to be.

This is simply an introduction to a two-part series where we’ll look at both the local prison and justice systems in its entirety from a variety of angles. One part will look at our local police system, the history of it and opportunities for change. The other will look at our local justice system, how it’s become the 2nd most overcrowded system in the country and how organizations like RISE and Black and Pink are working to create positive systemic change.

As we put these two pieces together we wanted to introduce this series today because we’re coming up on an important checkpoint for our local prison system.

“July 1st, 2020 is a date that looms in the minds of many Nebraskans. This is the date that Governor Ricketts must declare an overcrowding emergency for the state’s department of corrections if it is not able to decrease the prison population to 140% capacity. Currently, the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (NDCS) is functioning at 158% capacity. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, Nebraska was the 2nd most overcrowded system in the United States, following Alabama.” said Jasmine Harris, the Director of Advocacy & Policy at RISE.

Our goal with this series is to continue to bring awareness of the history and future of these two systems and chart their changes. Subscribe to our newsletter below to be the first to hear about each article and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for a behind the scenes look at the series.