Victim Services

NDCS Victim Services provides education, information and resources to victims impacted by the crimes of individuals who are incarcerated within NDCS. These services include: 

  • Education, information and resource throughout the corrections process
  • Addressing concerns related to incarcerated individuals under NDCS jurisdiction
  • Assistance with understanding the movement and status of incarcerated individuals
  • Information and referrals regarding the restitution process

For more information contact: connie.pfeifer@nebraska.gov

Victim / Witness Notification

NDCS offers a Victim / Witness notification for victims and witnesses of crime, as well as to family members and concerned citizens.  If you choose to enroll for Victim / Witness Notification, NDCS can provide you with information regarding an incarcerated person serving their sentence when the following events occur: 

  • Placement in a Community Corrections Center
  • For Furloughs Lasting 24hrs or More (Only at Community Corrections Centers)
  • Death of the Offender During Incarceration
  • Escape From Custody / Return to Custody
  • Parole Hearings, Release to Parole, Revocation of Parole
  • Discharge or Other Release

***The NDCS Victim / Witness Notification is designed to provide you access to information that can be used to plan for your personal safety. Please do not rely only on these services for your protection. If you feel that you are at risk, take precautions as if the offender has already been released.  If you feel that you are in immediate danger, we strongly encourage you to contact local law enforcement (911).***

Click here to access the Victim / Witness Notifications form

Enroll or Discontinue Notifications

Participation in the Victim / Witness Notification is voluntary, not automatic. You must enroll to receive or discontinue Victim / Witness Notifications. Additionally, you may also sign up for notification through Nebraska Victims of Crime Alert Portal.

Update Contact Information

If your mailing address, email address, or phone number changes, please contact us. The Victim Services will not be able to notify you if you do not report changes in your address, email address or telephone number. If you need to update your information, complete and submit the form. 

Requests can be mailed the following address:

       Records Manager
       Central Records Office-Active Records
       Nebraska Department of Correctional Services
       P.O. Box 94661
       Lincoln, NE 68509-4661

Victim Services FAQ's

What happens after sentencing? 

Once an individual has been sentenced to the Department of Correctional Services, they are sent to either the Reception and Treatment Center or the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women. They will then be assigned an institutional number and will be fingerprinted, photographed, and given medical and dental examinations.

During the initial evaluation period, staff put together a Classification Study for each individual. Classification is a systematic process of identifying an individual's characteristics, history and needs. It then matches them with the appropriate custody level, supervision requirements and programming recommendations. That process is used to determine which correctional institution they are assigned to. The individual's institutional placement will most likely change several times during their sentence as he/she demonstrates progress and nears release.

NDCS policies provide for classification reviews at least once a year for each individual. Reviews will also be held if the person receives a promotion or demotion in custody level, a change in program or work assignment, or a transfer to another correctional facility. A review held after the individual's initial classification is called a "reclassification."  These reviews may result in a change in custody, assignment or facility.

How are incarcerated individuals determined eligible for work / education release?

In general, incarcerated individuals who meet the following criteria may submit an application to be transferred one of the two community corrections centers for work release or education release.

  • Be within 18 months of their tentative release date
  • Be within 18 months of their set parole hearing
  • Have a medical examination within the past six months
  • Have demonstrated a level of responsibility that provides reasonable assurance that they will comply with the policies, rules and regulations of community corrections; including consideration of their:
    • Institutional adjustment
    • Discipline record

Incarcerated individuals at community corrections centers eventually are eligible to apply for passes where they can be at a pre-approved location(s) for a set amount of time with a pre-approved, detailed itinerary. Over time, these passes can increase in length, where the incarcerated individual may have 24 hour passes or longer. For passes that are 24-hours or longer, victims registered with NDCS Victim / Witness Notification Program will receive notice.  They will also receive notice when the incarcerated individual is first transferred to the community correctional center. To register with NDCS Victim / Witness Notification, click here. 

What is "good time"?

Nebraska has eight different laws that provide oversight and direction on the release of every individual incarcerated within NDCS. “Good Time” laws begin to be applied at the beginning of an individual's sentence. There are two types of good time: restorable (can earn it back) and non-restorable (cannot earn it back).  There are different situations where an individual may lose good time as a consequence to that behavior or actions.

As an individual earns good time, their tentative release date (TRD) will move to an earlier date. If the offender loses good time, their TRD will move further out.

What are my rights in the parole process?

As the crime victim of the incarcerated individual, you have the right:

  • To be notified of the individual’s parole hearing date
  • To be present at the individual’s parole hearing
  • To provide testimony, in person and/or written, opposing the parole
  • To be notified of parole hearing result

When an incarcerated individual has a Parole Eligibility Date (PED), it is not a guarantee that they will be granted a parole hearing by the Board of Parole.  If the Parole Board sets an individual for a parole hearing, it is also not a guarantee that the they will be paroled.

If you need to register with NDCS Victim / Witness Notification so that you can receive notices and updates, click here. 

You may also sign up for notification through Nebraska Victims of Crime Alert Portal here. 

What is the process to obtain restitution?

Restitution can only be collected by the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services with a court order from the judge. 

For those individuals who are ordered to pay restitution, the court of the county where restitution was ordered will submit that order to NDCS who will collect the funds as provided in the order and the Nebraska Administrative Code. Restitution will be deducted from accounts after child support payments have been paid, but before other payments and fees are deducted. If a specific amount is not indicated in the order, NDCS will collect 20% of all wages or other compensation received for employment deposited in the incarcerated individual’s institutional account.

Monies you received will depend on the income of the incarcerated individual and whether or not the incarcerated individual has the ability or opportunity to work. Income varies greatly from incarcerated individual to incarcerated individual and can include income from institution work and work in the community through work release while at Community Corrections Center. NDCS will determine on a regular basis if funds are available to be collected. However, no restitution will be collected if by doing so the balance in an incarcerated individual’s institutional account would fall below $10.

All restitution funds collected by NDCS will be sent to the District Court Clerk for of the Court that issued the original restitution court order. The District Court Clerk will distribute the funds to the victim through a check. Once all restitution has been paid, the District Court Clerk will notify NDCS to stop collecting restitution from that incarcerated individual. In order to ensure you receive any restitution, always make sure the District Court Clerk has your updated contact information.

Each county has its own policy for when an individual will receive the money. However, the recommendation given to the District Court Clerks is for restitution to be sent on a monthly basis and only when the monthly amount to be paid is at a minimum $10.

If the criminal case is being appealed, state statute and recent case law support the District Court holding all funds paid by the defendant until the appeal process is complete. This is because if the criminal conviction is reversed by an appeals court, the State is obliged to refund all fees, court costs, and restitution paid to the State by the defendant. The length of time for an appeal depends on the complexity of the criminal case, but the approximate time for it to be finalized is within 6-12 months.

Always make sure the District Court Clerk has your updated contact information. The contact information for the District Court Clerks https://supremecourt.nebraska.gov/directories/district-court-contacts 

What should I do if I am receiving unwanted contact from the offender?

NDCS is committed to keeping people safe, including victims of crime.  If you are receiving unwanted calls, emails or letters from your offender, please contact the warden at the facility where the individual is incarcerated. 

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