Hastings Correctional Center/Prison-Hastings, Nebraska

[MoMo]

Hastings Correctional Center





P.O. Box 2048

4201 West 2nd

Hastings, Nebraska 68902

Hastings, Nebraska

Phone:
(402) 462-1947

Hastings Correctional Center is a detention center housing persons detained by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), which is a division of Homeland Security. The Hastings Correctional Center first opened on June 22, 1987. It originally housed Community Custody inmates, but soon became a minimum custody correctional facility. The Hastings Correctional Center stopped housing inmates and began housing Immigration detainees in June of 2002. The facility can house up to 185 detainees. The Hastings Correctional Center employs 80.5 staff. Staff must be aware of the different cultures that exist so they know how detainees view different situations and so they may react accordingly. An agreement between the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services provides for the cost of operating the Hastings Correctional Center.

Programs: Proper paperwork from BICE specifying that a detainee is to be detained and held at HCC must accompany a detainee before they are received into the institution. When detainees are received at the Hastings Correctional Center, they participate in a medical and psychological assessment and are classified using a scoring instrument that adheres to BICE detention standards. Each detainee is housed in designated housing units according to this classification and BICE standards are followed in regards to separation of different classifications of detainees. Certain Institutional jobs (kitchen, recreation, laundry, barber, utility porter) are available on a voluntary basis for a limited number of detainees who want to work and earn a daily stipend. Visitation, mail and telephone calls allow for interaction between detainees and their families, friends and attorneys. Religious programming is also available to the detainees.

Security Levels: Detainees are classified as Level I, II, or III dependent upon their Criminal history.

Population: Up to 185 detainees

Number of Staff: 80.5

Visiting Hours: Saturday-Sunday-8: 30 to 11:00 A.M., 1:30 to 4:30 P.M. Visiting Hours for segregated detainees: Monday-8: 30 to 10:30 A.M. Visitation for special visits (emergency, clergy, attorney) is available as needed. Visiting hours are subject to change without notice. Please call the institution to verify visiting hours before planning a visit.

Directions: Exit 312 on Interstate 80, 15 miles south on U.S. Highway 281, 2 miles west on 12th street, 1 mile south on Regional Center Road.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What countries do these detainees come from?
Detainees can come from any part of the world and represent a wide variety of beliefs and cultures.

How do they end up at Hastings Correctional Center?
Detainees can be detained because they were caught in smuggling loads (vehicles stopped for committing an illegal act and illegal aliens were found inside of the vehicles), committing an illegal offense, raids of companies suspected of hiring illegal aliens, routine checks of immigrants who have violated their stay (overstayed visa, working illegally, etc.), and jails/prisons where detainees are serving time for an offense and found to be illegally in the United States.

Are these detainees all common laborers?
Detainees have a wide variety of education and work experiences ranging from common laborers to doctors. Some are in the U.S. on school visas. Illegal detainees can be of any age, old or young.

Is there a problem with a language barrier?
There are two full time interpreters at HCC. In addition, some of the staff speak Spanish. Interpreters other than Spanish are also available through interpreter services and phone language lines.

How long do they stay at HCC?
The average length of stay at HCC is 31 days, although some may stay longer because they are challenging their case to be deported and some shorter because they volunteer to return to their home country without protest. Some have criminal records and are detained for longer periods of time.

Are all detainees deported?
Some detainees are released on bond and others may have the case against them dropped and are allowed to remain in the U.S.. If released on bond, they may not work, but must use their time to prepare their case before an Immigration Judge. Others who were originally in the U.S. legally may be allowed to stay and work in the U.S.. A majority of the detainees are deported or granted volunteer removal to their home country.

How and when do detainees appear before an Immigration Judge?
Immigration Judges that hear Nebraska and Iowa cases are located in Chicago, Illinois. A V-Tel system (televideo conference system) is used with one camera and monitor within the Hastings Correctional Center and the other in Chicago. Attorneys for Immigration participate via phone line in Council Bluffs, Iowa, as do any attorneys representing the detainees. Attorneys for the detainees may also take part from their offices via phone line.

Can family members or friends take part in the hearing before the Immigration Judge?
Anyone who wants to appear in the hearing may do so in the courtroom in Chicago or Council Bluffs. Only detainees appear before the judge in the Hastings Correctional Center. Those wishing to attend should call the District Consul's office in Omaha.

Can we visit detainees or send money to them?
Visitation is allowed per the schedule listed above. Money can not be brought in to the facility but may be mailed to the detainee. No checks are accepted. All money is placed on the detainee's account and is available for their use. Only Postal Money Orders are accepted.