Juvenile justice oversight changes considered

A bill seeking changes to the oversight of the state’s juvenile justice system was heard by the Judiciary Committee Feb. 26.

The Office of the Inspector General of Nebraska Child Welfare (OIG) currently conducts audits, inspections and other reviews of the state’s child welfare system. LB347, introduced by Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha, would expand the OIG’s duties to also oversee the juvenile justice system.

Krist said Nebraska’s child welfare system has benefitted from the improved accountability and transparency provided by the OIG. The state’s juvenile justice system also should be subject to the same oversight, he said. Strong mandates alone are insufficient to ensure that youth are treated fairly and that the law is followed, he added.

Julie Rogers, inspector general of Nebraska child welfare, testified in support of the bill, saying the state’s juvenile justice system represents a large population of youth that would benefit from additional oversight. Barriers exist that prevent her office from conducting a thorough investigation if a juvenile probationer dies while in out-of-home placement, she said.

“Since we don’t have purview of the entirety of the juvenile justice system, it is difficult to understand the system as a whole and make system-wide recommendations,” Rogers said.

Juliet Summers, juvenile justice policy coordinator for Voices for Children in Nebraska, also spoke in favor of the bill. Youth who enter Nebraska’s child welfare system through the juvenile justice process should be entitled to the same protections as all of the state’s children, she said. An OIG would provide needed oversight in cases where juvenile probationers are housed in facilities not currently subject to Nebraska licensing and review, she said.

“We know that external review is always beneficial … and that it increases public trust in the system,” Summers said.

No one spoke in opposition to the bill and the committee took no immediate action on it.