Bills aim to limit, track juvenile confinement in Nebraska

(AP) — Child advocates told lawmakers Wednesday that Nebraska is locking up more teenagers than necessary and failing to track how often they are placed in solitary confinement.

"If we actually hope to help young people learn from their mistakes and heal from the wounds of their past, we have to ... acknowledge the rocky childhood and community violence that so many of these youth have experienced," said Amy West of the Nebraska chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.

The bill drew strong support from the ACLU, Voices for Children and the Center for Children's Law and Policy, who say adolescent brains don't stop developing until age 25 and extended isolation stunts a child's mental, physical and emotional progression.

A second measure by Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha would allow a juvenile to be placed in a locked detention facility only if it becomes a matter of community safety or if the youth has a record of intentionally missing hearings.