Nebraska plans to move boys from troubled Kearney youth center to Omaha

Nebraska state leaders plan to move all boys from a youth treatment center in Kearney to a currently underutilized facility in Omaha, following multiple allegations of sexual abuse at the Kearney site. The boys would be relocated to what is now a youth prison operated by the state Department of Correctional Services, as part of a broader reshuffling of the state’s in-custody juvenile population. State officials say the plan will improve living conditions and save approximately $4 million annually, but the Douglas County public defender and state employee union have raised questions about implementation readiness and impacts on youth programming.

The relocation plan highlights tensions in Nebraska’s response to documented staff misconduct at a youth facility, where state leaders have moved quickly to reorganize operations despite unresolved questions about whether the new arrangement can maintain adequate care, oversight, and family connections for transferred youth.

The move

The Kearney youth treatment center holds approximately 76 boys on average per month, according to Nebraska’s child welfare inspector general. The facility has a licensed capacity of 142 and houses youth in barracks-style quarters, though a new unit slated to open this spring will provide 48 individual beds.

State officials say the Omaha facility offers distinct advantages. With 92 rooms and capacity for up to 143 beds, most can be individual rather than shared quarters. The facility would keep 80–90% of youth who originate from Douglas and Sarpy counties closer to their families, according to John Meals, chief financial officer for the Department of Health and Human Services.

“Significantly safer and better for both the youth and the workers,” Meals said of the individual-room capacity.

The plan emerged as part of Gov. Jim Pillen’s proposed budget adjustments released last week. Lee Will, director of the Department of Administrative Services, said the move addresses practical capacity needs alongside facility improvements.

“It’s more about the overall space and youth allocation,” Will said. “But I do think it’s going to provide safer facilities, cleaner facilities. So I do think it’s going to help the youth as a whole.”

The relocations would save the state a net of approximately $4 million annually while requiring staff adjustments—more workers in Omaha, fewer in Kearney. State leaders said they would create as many transfer opportunities as possible for Kearney employees.

Allegations at Kearney

The relocation plan moves forward as the Kearney center faces serious misconduct allegations. In October, the Flatwater Free Press reported that court hearings revealed allegations of staff sexually abusing teenagers at the facility.

Court documents initially implicated four employees in incidents involving three boys. In a more recent hearing, a Kearney administrator estimated 8–10 boys had made allegations. The Douglas County Public Defender’s office later learned a fifth staff member is facing accusations.

Only one of the accused employees has been charged criminally, according to court records.

Tom Riley, the Douglas County Public Defender, said the pattern demands careful scrutiny. “It appears to me that a systemic problem is an accurate way to describe it,” Riley said, describing what he characterized as a concerted effort “to minimize it at best and at worst hide it from the courts.”

Riley outlined concerns about the relocation plan itself. “There are a number of issues that need to be addressed before this is put into action,” he said, citing questions about how youth moved between facilities would continue to receive appropriate programming.

Union and staffing concerns

The Nebraska Association of Public Employees, which represents state workers including nurses and administrative support staff, said it had received no advance notice and was not consulted about the plan.

“We had no advanced notice, and there haven’t been discussions with our union formally or informally regarding any proposals to relocate youth, repurpose facilities or the potential effects on staff,” Justin Hubly, the union’s executive director, said in a text message. “Given the short staffing and high turnover at the YRTCs in recent years, we hope to be involved in discussions and planning to best serve the youth entrusted to the care of our members at these facilities.”

Implementation and oversight

Relocating girls currently held in Hastings to the Kearney center would require a state law change. State Sen. Brian Hardin, Health and Human Services Committee chair, said a bill will be introduced during the 60-day legislative session that began earlier this month.

If the Legislature approves, state leaders said the moves could happen before the end of 2026.

Jennifer Carter, Nebraska’s child welfare watchdog, said her office continues investigating the allegations at Kearney alongside the Ombudsman’s Office. “It continues to be an all-hands-on-deck situation,” she said. “We have been reviewing tons of evidence, and we are still in that process.”