On this first day of 2012, I am happy to report to the people (and taxpayers) of Hawaii that many offenders who committed crimes and were placed on probation are changing. They are taking responsibility for their actions, turning their lives around, and becoming better and more productive citizens.

Seven years ago, I realized that the probation system was broken and needed changing. I knew that most people end up in prison, not from judges at initial sentencing, but from failing on regular probation, either by committing new crimes or by repeatedly violating their conditions of probation. I brought together the different partners in the criminal justice system and we created Hawaii’s Opportunity Probation with Enforcement, or HOPE Probation.

In HOPE, probationers get a jail sentence for every violation of probation. It’s Parenting 101. Instead of getting a pass on multiple violations before being brought back to court, probationers are held accountable. Expectations and limits are made clear, and jail consequences for non-compliance are delivered quickly and consistently.

Where regular probation is delayed, uncertain, and when action is finally taken, often overly harsh, HOPE is swift, certain and proportionate. Probationers are much more likely to succeed in a system they perceive as strict but fair.

I started HOPE with 34 offenders on Oct. 1, 2004. I currently supervise more than 1,950 felony probationers, nearly one out of four on Oahu.

How well is HOPE working? The offenders in HOPE are getting arrested for new crimes 55 percent less frequently than those on regular probation. They are also getting their probation revoked 53 percent less often. As a result, they are being sent to 48 percent fewer days in prison.

Does everyone in HOPE succeed? Of course not. But they are doing a lot better than those on probation-as-usual.

HOPE reduces crime and victimization, helps offenders and their families, and saves taxpayers millions of dollars. It is now being replicated across the country.

"Donna" recently finished HOPE probation early. She had been convicted of forgery and drug charges. She went to drug treatment, is drug-free, has a positive attitude, paid all of her restitution and court fees, and has been employed full-time for over a year. Donna is now a taxpayer and a contributing member of society.

"Sonny" also finished HOPE probation early. He had been convicted of drug charges. He is now drug-free, paid his court fees, has a positive attitude and has had a full-time job for the past 21/2 years. Sonny is also a taxpayer and a contributing member of society.

Through the structure of HOPE, Donna and Sonny and numerous others have learned to take responsibility for their actions and make better choices in their lives. They and their families are certainly better for it. So are we. Regular probation costs $1,000 per probationer per year. HOPE costs less than $2,000 per year. But prison in Hawaii costs taxpayers $50,000 per year per offender.

HOPE is not a miracle.

But it does mean public employees working smarter and harder in order to bring swift and certain consequences for the offenders. Along with our partners in the drug treatment community (e.g., Hina Mauka, Salvation Army Addiction Treatment Services, Sand Island Treatment Center, Habilitat and Ho’omau Ke Ola), all of the people who make HOPE work are city, state and federal employees.

That is a great message for all in Hawaii. With the right leadership, government can work and can be effective. All of our partners — judges, court staff, probation, prosecutors, defense attorneys, sheriffs, corrections, police, and the U.S. Marshals Service — have stepped up to work smarter and harder. They are committed to doing business a new way, working together to fix our broken probation system.

I applaud all these government workers who are helping to give our probationers a new beginning in their lives. I also salute Donna and Sonny.

They, and many others, have renewed their lives and made them better.

Change is hard to do but it is possible. Change can lead to less crime, better lives and taxpayer savings. What a gift to Hawaii!

Hawaii Circuit Judge Steven S. Alm spearheads Hawaii’s Opportunity Probation with Enforcement (HOPE) program. He also presides over the First Circuit’s Adult Drug Court program.