Omaha Correctional Center

The Omaha Correctional Center is a mixed-custody prison located in Omaha, Nebraska that houses minimum and medium-security male inmates. The facility is located on a 37-acre site in East Omaha, just south of Eppley Airfield. 

The OCC was opened April 24, 1984 with a design capacity of 240 inmates at a total cost of approximately $17 million; today the facility has an operational capacity of 666 inmates in double and multiple occupancy rooms. In 1994, an additional housing unit brought the design capacity of the OCC to 396 inmate beds.

OCC has a separate entrance building as well as an inner complex including an indoor/outdoor visiting area, a library, a religious center, dental and medical area, restrictive housing unit, academic and pre-employment training areas, central physical plant, laundry, kitchen and dining room, Cornhusker State Industries, canteen, and a gymnasium. 

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Visiting hours at the Omaha Correctional Center are as follows: 

WEDNESDAY - FRIDAY
1:30 pm - 4:45 pm
(Regular Visits Entrance Time: 1:00 pm) No visits will be processed after 3:00 p.m.

5:15 pm - 8:30 pm
(Regular Visits Entrance Time: 4:45 pm) No visits will be processed after 6:45 p.m.

SATURDAY - SUNDAY
7:45 am - 10:45 am
(Regular Visits Entrance Time: 7:15 am) No visits will be processed after 9:15 a.m.

12:00 pm - 3:00 pm
(Regular Visits Entrance Time: 11:30 am) No visits will be processed after 1:30 p.m.

The weekend morning session will stop processing visitors at 9:15 a.m. and the weekend afternoon session will stop processing visitors at 1:30 p.m. 

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday the first session will stop processing visitors at 3:00 p.m. and the second session will stop processing visitors at 6:45 p.m. 

Additionally, visitors will not be allowed to loiter on institutional grounds, buildings, etc. Visitors may arrive at the facility one-half hour (30 minutes) prior to the beginning of a visitation session.

Dress Code

Casual attire is appropriate, and clothing should not be distracting or offensive to inmates or to other visitors and must be in good repair. Clothing that is tight fitting (clothing will be considered tight fitting if it reveals the outline of genitalia or the areola), revealing, or made of see-through fabric is not allowed.

Shorts or skirts must be below the knee when standing/sitting. Shirts and dresses must cover the shoulders. Clothing with pictures, symbols, or language that may be considered profane or offensive by current public standards is not allowed. Tops of clothing can be no lower than the collarbone in the front and back.

Clothes will be expected to be in good repair with no rips, tears, or pockets that are torn to allow access beneath the garment. 

Shoes are required to be worn at all times, and open toe shoes are allowed. A lightweight outer jacket/sweater without any pockets may be worn in the visiting area. 

Visitors must wear undergarments, but they can’t wear multiple layers of undergarments. Females must wear one bra and one pair of underwear (10 years of age or under are not required to wear a bra). Males must wear one pair of underwear/undershorts. 

Visitors are not allowed to wear a combination of both khaki colored pants and a shirt at the same time when they visit. A visitor may wear khaki pants or a khaki shirt but never at the same time when visiting. 

Hats, headbands, hooded clothing, or outerwear are not allowed. Clergy are permitted to wear religious headwear. Watches, exercise trackers, and similar devices are not permitted. 

Children 10 years or younger may be allowed to visit if wearing shorts, skirts, or rompers. 

Visitor Items

Visitors are permitted the following items in the visiting room/area: 

• Each visitor may bring up to $20.00 in change for use in the vending machines 
• Heart and asthma medication in the original container
• Parents with infants may bring in two, factory sealed, single-serving, ready-to-feed formula or two clear bottles (no glass), four disposable diapers, eight wet wipes inside a clear bag, one receiving blanket, and one plastic teething instrument.

All other personal property must be secured in your vehicle or in lockers provided by the facility.

How to Call an Inmate

How to Send Money

You can send money to an inmate at Omaha Correctional Center through JPay. You have the option of using their website, the JPay mobile app, visiting a MoneyGram agent location in-person, or calling 1-800-574-5729.

You must know the inmate’s full name and their DOC number to send money through JPay.

Programs For Inmates

Inmates at Omaha Correctional Center are afforded educational opportunities. The facility attempts to meet the emotional and spiritual needs of the inmates through the programs and services of the religious activities.

Through programming, the facility has been able to reduce inmate idleness. Treatment programming is always at capacity due to the sizable number of drug and sex offenders at the Omaha Correctional Center. This facility also hosts the Substance Abuse Unit for Residential Substance Abuse Treatment Services as well as a Non-Residential Services program.

Clinical Treatment

• Anger Management High Risk/Need: available to individuals demonstrating high risk/high needs related to anger. This treatment provides instruction and practice on basic anger control strategies in a group facilitated by clinicians.
• Continuing Care-Sex Offender Program: helps participants maintain and strengthen the gains they made in other treatment programs. It also helps participants navigate new challenges and helps support the transition back to a community setting. Also offered on parole.
• Coping with Anxiety: Provides psycho-education on managing symptoms of anxiety while increasing the individual's ability to function despite those issues.
• iHeLP- Inpatient Sex Offender Treatment Program: The Inpatient Healthy Lives Program (iHeLP) is an inpatient program available to individuals who have been assessed as a high risk for further sexual violence.
• Medication Compliance Group: Explains medications and encourages taking prescribed  mental health medications.
• oHeLP Outpatient Sex Offender Program: The Outpatient Healthy Lives Program is available to individuals who are assessed to be at a relatively moderate risk to sexually re-offend.
• Residential Treatment for Substance Abuse: Inmates assigned to residential treatment programs have been identified as having serious substance abuse issues. These programs generally last about six months.
• Violence Reduction Program: an intensive treatment option for individuals at high risk for violent re-offense. Incarcerated individuals with a high risk to reoffend may include those with strong antisocial beliefs or lifestyle, evidence of psychopathy, and/or instrumental violence.

Non-Clinical Programs

• Crime Victims Impact/Empathy and Life Skills: This program increases a participant's understanding of the harm/damages they caused their victims, communities and themselves. The program also provides an important life skill module that teaches how to become emotionally proficient, which translates into better decision making and reduced conflicts.
• Destination Dads-Common Sense Parenting: Provides parents with a menu of techniques that will aid them in building positive family relationships; preventing and correcting misbehavior; using consequences to improve behavior. Teaches self-control and how to stay calm.
• Destination Dads-Inside Out Dads: Incarcerated fathers get tools they need to become more involved, responsible, and committed in the lives of their children.
• Destination Dads-Peer Mentoring: A support group for inmates who have completed the Destination Dads program.  The group addresses topics related to the core curriculum.
• Destination Dads-Within My Reach: Critical and concrete tools are provided which help participants improve interactions with those who matter in their lives. Subjects are knowing yourself first, smart love and making your own decisions.
• Living in Balance: Cognitive based educational program designed to address recovery and re-entry issues. Needs addressed:
• Thinking for a Change: a high-level cognitive behavioral program developed by the National Institute of Corrections. The program uses role playing to concentrate on changing the criminogenic thinking of offenders.

Education Programs

• Adult Basic Education: assists adult incarcerated students work toward high school equivalency, or refresh skills regardless of diploma status.
• College Courses: offered through various universities/colleges and correspondence courses. Currently, college classes are provided by grant funded providers and/or at the individual's own expense.
• ESL/ELL: English as a second language (ESL) is designed to aid those students not fluent in English learn to speak, read, hear and write the language so they can better function in society.
• High School: NDCS operates its own school district with a high school. Students of all ages may attend high school classes. Individuals under 22 who have not graduated from high school are required to be in school. Students over 22 need to go through an application process.
• Metro Community College Credit Classes: Provides opportunity for higher education.

Pro-Social Activities

• AA (Alcoholics Anonymous): an organization which encourages members to read, and listen at meetings using the program as an opportunity to face the truth and become accountable for their addiction to alcohol.
• Reentry Program provided by Gary Grayson: Peer support program which addresses a number of topics such as anger management; employability, wellness, and recovery.
• Religious Classes and activities: Variety of classes, workshops and religious services designed to help inmates with support and spiritual development.
• Sports/Recreation Activities: A variety of activities that encourage health pastimes are offered at all facilities. 

Vocational/Life Skills Programs

• Alpha: promotes daily living skills and encourages character development. All classes are biblically based and open to anyone, regardless of religious affiliation. The program includes lessons on addiction prevention, understanding marriage, understanding parenthood, and managing finances.
• Cabinet Maker Apprentice: Apprenticeship for learning carpentry skills. 
• Forklift Training: Training in how to use and operate a forklift.
• Health Course: provides workshops on preventative health education and nutrition, such as Men's Birth Control; Date Abuse; Bullying; Gender Boxes; and Hygiene.
• Metro Community College (MCC): provides a variety of courses to assist with employment readiness, life skills, reentry, computer knowledge/skills,  mechanics, quality control, and supervision in the workplace.
• Planning with a Purpose: teaches constructive thinking, conflict resolution, responsibility, and goal setting.
• Reconnect - Success Prep: Helps participants examine behaviors and attitudes that may have contributed to their incarceration and focus on skills critical to reentry.
• RISE: This program targets entrepreneurial-minded individuals and offers intensive leadership development, business plan competitions, executive mentoring, financial investment, and startup incubation.
• Truck Driver Simulator: Prepares students for taking CDL after release.
• Upholstery Apprenticeship: Trains staff in the skills of doing upholstery work.

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Careers at Omaha Correctional Center