LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska government working group is seeking solutions to the burgeoning prison population in a state where crime has decreased 20 percent over the past 10 years.

The group, which includes the state governor and the chief justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court, met Tuesday in Lincoln. Those who attended the meeting heard a program director from the Council of State Governments Justice Center recount some numerical explanations. The reasons included longer sentences for some crimes and an increase in the number of people returned to prison because of parole violations.

Some solutions offered included updating state laws on felony theft.

The group will meet again in October and December. Its report is expected to be issued by September next year.