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Nebraska corrections reforms to include 'culture study'

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Department of Correctional Services is planning to interview 300 employees as part of a "culture study" to make changes within the problem-plagued agency.

The department announced Monday that it will interview randomly selected staff members at all of the department's facilities, across all shifts.

The study will look at the department's training, career advancement opportunities, performance evaluations and management.

The department has faced repeated problems in recent years, from miscalculated prison sentences to a riot at the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution that left two inmates dead. Scott Frakes, the department's new director, has said he sensed a "fear-based culture" among employees and promised to slow the worker turnover rate.

The governor's chief human resources officer, Sharon Pettid, will lead the study.

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