STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1335

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.R. No. 85

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.R. No. 85 entitled:

"SENATE RESOLUTION URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY TO INCREASE ITS INVESTMENT IN COMPREHENSIVE OFFENDER REENTRY TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR INDIVIDUALS EXITING CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to urge the Department of Public Safety to increase its investment in comprehensive offender re-entry training programs for individuals exiting correctional facilities.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Public Safety, American Civil Liberties Union of Hawai‘i, and Community Alliance on Prisons.

Your Committee finds that re-entry programs focused on helping persons exiting jails and prisons to obtain post-secondary education, housing, employment, and treatment foster a smoother and more successful transition from incarceration back into their communities; result in reduced recidivism and improved public safety. The Department of Public Safety is statutorily required to provide comprehensive and effective re-entry planning for adults exiting correctional facilities. The lack of civil identification documents makes it nearly impossible to obtain housing and legal employment, both of which are foundational pieces to successful re-entry into communities. Despite the Department of Public Safety's statutory mandate to provide civil identification documents to persons exiting correctional facilities, pursuant to section 353H-32, Hawaii Revised Statutes, roughly half are exiting jails and prisons without such documentation. This measure requests the Department of Public Safety to increase investment in comprehensive offender re-entry programs for individuals exiting correctional facilities so that they may have the proper identification documents and be able to successfully re-enter into their community.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 85 and recommends its adoption.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs,

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CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair