THE SENATE                           S.C.R. NO.            135
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                    SENATE  CONCURRENT
                        RESOLUTION
  REQUESTING A MANAGEMENT AUDIT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC
    SAFETY.

 1          WHEREAS, the state correctional system has been under
 2   severe criticism for a number of years; and
 3   
 4          WHEREAS, the American Civil Liberties Union suit against
 5   the State of Hawaii alleging unconstitutional prison conditions
 6   resulted in a consent decree settlement in 1985, under which
 7   inmate population ceilings were established and the appointment
 8   of panels of experts were authorized to study prison conditions
 9   and develop plans to improve health care, food services, prison
10   environment, corrections training and staffing, and inmate
11   classifications; and
12   
13          WHEREAS, the Department of Public Safety (formerly known
14   as the Department of Corrections) was established by the 1987
15   Legislature in order to provide an organizational structure
16   that would be better equipped to address the various problems
17   and deficiencies in the correctional system and to improve
18   administrative accountability; and
19   
20          WHEREAS, while the Department of Public Safety has made
21   limited progress in implementing the corrective measures
22   recommended by the panels of experts under the consent decree,
23   significant problems continue to exist within the correctional
24   facilities as the Department of Public Safety has failed to
25   clearly articulate its long-term goals and policies for the
26   state correctional system, and to win the confidence in the
27   competence and qualifications of correctional administrators
28   among correctional employees, as evidenced by the corrections
29   audit of the Auditor in 1989 and by the 1988 and 1989 reports
30   of the consent decree review panels; and
31   
32          WHEREAS, in recent years, the state correctional system
33   has continued to be plagued by harsh criticism for the
34   overcrowding of inmates in correctional facilities,
35   insufficient staffing, staff morale problems, staff recruitment
36   and retention problems, and a lack of suitable and meaningful
37   programs for inmates; and
38   

 
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 1          WHEREAS, the state correctional system has also recently
 2   been condemned by prison inmates, their attorneys, and prison
 3   staff members for the lack of prompt medical attention for
 4   inmates, and the use of unreasonable and excessive force
 5   against inmates; and
 6   
 7          WHEREAS, the Legislature recognizes that the causes of
 8   these persistent problems are complex and organizational
 9   structure alone will not resolve the problems of the state
10   correctional system, therefore, it is imperative that attempts
11   be made to address these causes; and
12   
13          WHEREAS, during this critical time period it is
14   essential that outmoded administrative practices and attitudes
15   which may have been effective decades ago be replaced with new
16   and innovative techniques and attitudes in correctional
17   management if the state correctional system is to improve; now,
18   therefore,
19   
20        BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twentieth Legislature
21   of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 1999, the House of
22   Representatives concurring, that the Auditor is requested to
23   conduct a management and financial audit of the Department of
24   Public Safety, with particular emphasis on the department's
25   planning, management, staffing and spending for:  (1)
26   facilities, (2) contracts, (3) litigation, and other
27   operational requirements; and
28   
29        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Auditor may examine any
30   other programs of the department where weaknesses have been
31   previously reported in the areas of planning, management, or
32   fiscal; and
33   
34        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Auditor submit a report of
35   findings and recommendations to the Legislature not less than
36   twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of
37   2000; and
38   
39        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
40   Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Auditor and the
41   Director of Public Safety.
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44                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________