Douglas County corrections director reports strong pretrial outcomes, small population increase

Michael Myers, Douglas County Director of Corrections, presented an abridged monthly report to commissioners, saying the corrections operation ended the fiscal year under budget and encumbered funds for projects that will continue into the next fiscal year. Myers highlighted the county's pretrial release program: "97.2 percent of all individuals on pretrial release remained arrest free and 98.5 percent remained free from violent offenses," and he estimated pretrial releases saved taxpayers $735,390 in detention costs.

Myers discussed operational metrics and upcoming compliance events: average daily population increased by 42 from May to June; the department will undergo an American Correctional Association audit in late October and a National Commission on Correctional Health Care follow-up visit in early October to address new standards. He also reported a modest spike in staff injuries (13 reported during codes), said most deployments of emergency response teams ended without use of force and noted four staff injuries resulted in light duty designations.

Commissioners asked follow-up questions about the Lincoln Regional Center and whether staff injuries resulted from inmate assaults; Myers replied there were no unprovoked attacks on staff but some injuries occurred while staff were breaking up inmate-on-inmate fights. He said the county's corrections facility and staff have been recognized for recruitment and retention practices and that he and deputy leadership have participated in national fora on the issues.