LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s corrections director is facing tough questions from a lawmaker who says a high-profile inmate was able to swallow an employee’s keys while under around-the-clock supervision.

Correctional services director Scott Frakes on Monday defended his staff’s actions but said workers made mistakes in their handling of Nikko Jenkins. He acknowledges no one has been fired.

Jenkins is in custody at the Nebraska State Penitentiary while awaiting sentencing for four murders in Omaha in August 2013.

Jenkins has cut his face, tongue and genitals and tried to hang himself while in prison. Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha railed against the department’s handling of Jenkins.

Frakes’ comments came during a wide-ranging legislative hearing on Nebraska’s prison system, which touched on issues such as staff turnover and the use of solitary confinement.