Giving every individual who serves time at Oahu Community Correctional Center (OCCC) the opportunity to reset and establish a new life is the foremost goal of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR).

In the state’s correctional system, the majority of those in our jails, such as OCCC, are in our custody for a year or less. They include pre-trial detainees and misdemeanor offenders. Time is of the essence to help make a difference in their lives.

Many of the inmates come to us burdened by difficult circumstances and wrong choices. We help them accept responsibility for their situation and to realize their time with us can be a turning point in their lives. Our team of adult corrections officers, social workers, nurses, counselors and other professionals create the most conducive environment to grow personally and professionally.

At OCCC, we prepare individuals to be reintegrated into the community. We offer a diverse range of support services, including substance abuse treatment, technical training and other life-changing therapeutic programs. Our programs are designed to reduce recidivism and reinforce a more humane, culturally sensitive and effective rehabilitative model.

One of the hallmarks of OCCC is the Laumaka Work Furlough Center. Inmates assigned to this program actively seek outside employment or are already working in the community.

However, OCCC’s physical appearance and outdated operational design do not express our values or uphold the dignity of humans entrusted to our care. As the Hawaii Correctional System Oversight Commission continually points out, our aging physical facilities are subpar and deplorable.

Now 50 years old, many of OCCC’s buildings have seen better days, including the portion that is over 110 years old. Over time, deferred maintenance — a polite, politically correct way of saying a lack of budget to maintain our facilities — has severely compromised the quality and integrity of our facilities. They are not only an eyesore, but also a hindrance to carrying out our mission. It is akin to living in a house that should be condemned. By being proactive, we can improve the facility and avoid possible federal intervention that could prove more costly.

Those opposed to investing in new correctional facilities often claim that we should instead invest in restorative justice programs to reduce the number of those who are incarcerated in our islands. This argument was valid generations ago when facilities were based on a punitive model of justice. This is no longer the case today.

We need to stop the unnecessary polarization on this issue to avoid any further delays on this 20-year decision as well as increases in the cost of this badly needed new facility.

We often hear that some in jails or prisons do not belong there, but our current siloed ecosystem does not adequately accommodate these different needs. But this is changing. Those in the Judiciary, Department of Health, Department of Human Services, nonprofit social service programs and others have been collaborating to develop a shared vision and values and to reimagine a new physical facility that reflects a rehabilitative and restorative model of justice.

As an added benefit, a new facility can help attract qualified candidates to carry out our mission and implement our vital rehabilitative programs, while also addressing staffing shortages and substantial overtime costs.

It’s time to think much more expansively about how we can impact lives. We must put aside our old arguments and collaboratively focus on putting our inmates on a path that gives them a new trajectory so they can realize their fullest potential.

We owe it to the people of Hawaii to get this right.

Tommy Johnson is the director of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, which includes four prisons and four jails statewide.