Have you tried running the Patterson Beam plugin?

Yes. There doesn't seem to be a setting for this.

if this is, for example, an SA/TB score with lyrics between, like a hymnal, it’s probably better to move the staves farther apart. If you can post a picture of the problem, we could maybe give you more specific answers.

… Is there a way to limit stem length so beams aren't so far from the staff? …

I do not know of an “automatic” option that will adjust stem lengths where beams are far from the staff.

But you can adjust the general lengths of all stems:

Document menu > Document Options > Stems

There are two stem lengths: Normal Stem Length and Shortened Stem Length

Normal Stem Length is used where there is only one voice, and the stem direction Up/Down follows the general rule of {Up on low notes, Down on high notes}.

Shortened Stem Length is used where the stem direction is flipped, due to two-voice writing in one staff.

Try setting both Normal Stem Length and Shortened Stem Length to 18pt.

It might be nice to post a screenshot of a typical problem area so we can take a look. Rather than shorten stem length, it might be better to adjust the lyric baselines lower, to move them away from the beams. Shortening stems globally might look a bit odd.