One needn’t be a bleeding heart to support a revamping of Hawaii’s justice and correctional systems. Analysts fixated on cost control and return on investment are likely to come to a similar point, because of one simple fact: It costs much more to lock people up than to divert people from jail and prison, providing rehabilitation services in a more nimble manner.
The state of Hawaii needs to get a grip on its crime-court-jail pipeline, set desired outcomes and follow the money — closely — in order to reform processes to be most effective and efficient, providing alternatives to jail or prison for nonviolent offenders.
The state also, urgently, needs a new jail on Oahu to replace the substandard, poorly sited Oahu Community Correctional Center (OCCC) in Kalihi — a decrepit, discouraging, overcrowded eyesore that does not serve its inmates, staff or surrounding community well.
For the past several years, however, advocates for a new correctional facility have been locked in a stalemate with legislators and reform advocates over how to accomplish both of those things at once, while spending as little as possible.
Hawaii’s previous governor, David Ige, grappled with this unsuccessfully. Ige made funding a new Oahu jail one of his signature issues, but was repeatedly foiled in the Legislature.
Justice reform didn’t fare much better. In 2022, House Bill 1567, which eliminated cash bail for pre-trial arrestees charged with nonviolent misdemeanors and low-level felonies, practically sailed through the Legislature — but was derailed by a public backlash, including heavy criticism from Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi. Ige vetoed it.
The level of public outcry over HB 1567 — it allowed for those charged with crimes like shoplifting or petty theft, including repeat offenders, to avoid cash bail, based on the probability that the accused would still appear for court — indicates that future attempts at reform may face a similarly rocky road.
Close study and careful crafting of reforms are required to avoid unintended impacts and reversals, even where public support exists, as with Oregon’s now-notorious Ballot Measure 110 — a 2020 voter-approved initiative that decriminalized possession of small amounts of illegal drugs.
The intention was to connect users to treatment, with a $100 fine that was waived if offenders contacted a provider. Few users made contact, however, while overdoses and open drug use proliferated. This year, Oregon lawmakers recriminalized possession, a move projected to result in 530 added jail sentences annually.
Reform, while essential, will clearly take time. Yet Oahu needs a new jail, ASAP. Planning and preparation to build one must continue.
The state has committed to an emphasis on restoration and rehabilitation in the criminal justice system as state policy, and it must be held to that commitment. Hawaii’s former Department of Public Safety is now the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR). And DCR Director Tommy Johnson has affirmed his commitment to the “paradigm shift” that title change entails.
It’s also positive news that a $63 million expansion project has been completed at the Women’s Community Correctional Center, designed to hold women previously placed at OCCC. This relieves some of the overcrowding at OCCC — and that’s welcome because the Halawa site chosen for a new jail is still occupied by the state Animal Quarantine Station, which won’t be off the property until 2029.
The delay may benefit new-jail proponents: It buys time to develop construction plans that fit a rehabilitation paradigm; gives the state time to put together a funding package; and may also help avoid a construction labor squeeze because of the impending Aloha Stadium project and rebuilding at Lahaina.
There’s still the matter of opposition to any jail project — particularly one the size of OCCC, holding about 1,000 inmates — that precedes justice reform. Such objections helped scuttle funding in the Legislature in 2022. And in his first year as governor, 2023, Josh Green said he wanted “a better proposal” and a less-expensive, “lower impact” facility.
In one promising development, DCR has contracted with the University of Hawaii Community Design Center to conduct community engagement and to study other states’ models for jail design, with the directive of envisioning “rehabilitative models” and a “community-based continuum of care.” The center will not design a new OCCC, but will provide information to a design-and-build team, once chosen.
The Design Center will host a “Virtual Shareout” via Zoom on Thursday, noon to 1:30 p.m., with updates from DCR and a roundtable discussion including members of the Correctional Reform Working Group and Correctional System Oversight Commission. Register at 808ne.ws/OCCCdesignSHAREOUT Opens in a new tab.
This engagement with key communities, including inmates themselves and reform advocates, bodes well for public safety and tackling recidivism. Green and his administration must build on this forward momentum and keep planning — along with the necessary funding — on track.
