20 to 25 arrest warrants have been issued for inmates who were released from the Nebraska corrections system early.
The warrants follow a review of Nebraska’s mandatory minimum sentences issued since 1995, after an Omaha World-Herald investigation of the early releases. Governor Dave Heineman says the sentences were calculated incorrectly, with good time applied to the entire sentence, instead of being applied after the inmate had served their mandatory minimum sentence. 306 inmates were released early after their sentences were miscalculated.
Attorney General Jon Bruning says only a small number are being sought to return to prison.
"This is not as a whole an extremely scary group. There’s a few, to be sure, that are pretty darn scary. But generally speaking, these folks that we’ve recalculated, they were going to get out anyway."
567 inmates had their sentences recalculated and remain in prison. A Task Force of the Nebraska State Patrol, local, and federal law enforcement will serve the arrest warrants in several Nebraska counties, including Douglas, Sarpy, and Lancaster.
In 1995, Nebraska law was changed so good time is calculated after an inmate has served his or her mandatory minimum sentence.