Douglas County corrections director reports staffing gains, steady mental‑health caseload and progress on jail mental‑health wing

Michael Myers, Douglas County Director of Corrections, told the Board of Corrections on Tuesday that January operational metrics showed a mix of staffing gains, continued mental‑health burdens in the jail population and progress on a planned mental‑health addition to county correctional facilities.

Myers said the department was $435,706 under budget after seven months of the fiscal year and reported $237,007 in overtime costs for January; he attributed the overtime uptick to increased sick and other leave. He said six officers below sergeant and one sergeant left employment in January and four officers were promoted from CO1 to CO2; the county’s correctional-officer ranks were at about 103% of authorized staffing, including a class of 19 cadets that began January 13 and will graduate Feb. 22.

Myers summarized program and population numbers: the sanctions and transitional discharge centers placed 11 individuals into community corrections in January (saving 59 jail bed days), work release admitted 31 people, house arrest admitted 80, the reentry assistance program admitted 19, and 300 people were placed on pretrial release. He said an estimated 3,960 jail bed days were saved by monitoring and alternatives, which he translated into a detention savings of about $673,254.

Population and health figures included 1,420 admissions and 1,365 releases in January, a high daily count of 1,039 and an average length of stay of 25 days for those released in the month. Myers said 49% of inmates stayed longer than 72 hours (average 49 days) while 51% were released within 72 hours (average 1.4 days). He reported that 65% of the jail population were minorities, 16% were female, and about 18% were homeless or nearly homeless.

On mental health, Myers cited Stepping Up‑initiative data in the packet showing that bookings with a serious mental illness remained in the high 20s as a percentage of bookings; December finished at 30.2% for individuals booked with a serious mental illness and an average daily figure of roughly 33.2% with a serious mental illness. He highlighted improved access to the Lincoln Regional Center: average wait times for admission dropped from 154 days (in earlier years) to 69 days in 2024, a change Myers credited in part to increased bed capacity there.

Myers said the department’s crisis negotiation and Correctional Emergency Response Team (CERT) each deployed 11 times in January; deployments included welfare checks, high‑risk medical transports and area searches that turned up minor contraband. He also reported construction progress on a mental‑health addition, noting deep foundations with 148 concrete pilings about 80 feet deep and initial above‑ground work for stair and elevator towers.

Commissioners asked for additional breakdowns on drug and alcohol problems and program availability; Myers said daily 12‑step meetings and other programming occur and that staff can provide further detail on substance‑use caseloads and program capacity.

Myers concluded by noting an upcoming accreditation audit by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care and that staff continue to refine pretrial tracking software to provide more detailed outcome measures for violations and court appearance tracking.