LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s corrections director has unveiled a plan to ease some overcrowding in the state prisons while creating benchmarks designed to hold the agency accountable.

Director Scott Frakes said Wednesday that the department will request an estimated $26.2 million for additional beds at community corrections centers in Lincoln and Omaha. The funding would cover a net increase of 148 beds and allow the department to place male and female inmates in separate facilities.

The plan also outlines specific measurements to track the department’s performance, such as staff vacancy rates and recidivism rates.

The plan was released as a legislative oversight committee began three days of hearings to look at various problems within Nebraska’s prison system. Frakes is scheduled to appear before the committee on Thursday.