LINCOLN — Lack of progress in reducing overcrowding in Nebraska’s prisons is spawning a proposal to plan for a new 300-bed work-release facility in Omaha. State Sen. Steve Lathrop of Omaha, a leading legislator on corrections issues, said he’ll introduce a bill when the State Legislature convenes this week to begin planning a community corrections facility, which could cost upward of $40 million. As of Friday, state prisons held 2,006 more inmates than their design capacity of 3,535 inmates. Nebraska’s prisons are currently the second-most overcrowded in the nation at 157% of capacity, trailing only Alabama, which is under federal order to address its overcrowding problem. Read article.