STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2434

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 3295

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs and Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 3295 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CORRECTIONS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Establish the Women's Correctional Implementation Commission within the Department of Public Safety to provide oversight of state correctional facilities that incarcerate women, receive and investigate complaints from incarcerated women, monitor the criminal justice system's progress in implementing reforms, and monitor programs and data that are important to ensuring successful outcomes for women in the correctional system; and

(2) Appropriate moneys to fund the Commission's operations, including the hiring of necessary staff.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Women's Prison Project and four individuals. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Hawai‘i Correctional System Oversight Commission, Department of Public Safety, and Department of Budget and Finance.

Your Committees find that many aspects of the State's criminal justice system are designed to meet the needs of men because they make up a larger proportion of the criminal justice system's population. Consequently, the needs of women, who made up about twelve percent of the State's combined jail and prison population in 2018, are often not being met. Your Committees further find that women often have very different pathways into the criminal justice system than men. Similarly, women in the correctional system have different needs and experience different barriers to success. Your Committees believe that the State has an important interest in ensuring that the unique needs of women in this system are being met. This measure will allow the State to ensure that women are not being left behind in a system that was designed primarily with men in mind by establishing and funding the Women's Correctional Implementation Commission within the Department of Public Safety to provide oversight of state correctional facilities that incarcerate women, receive and investigate complaints from incarcerated women, monitor the criminal justice system's progress in implementing reforms, and monitor programs and data that are important to ensuring successful outcomes for women in the correctional system.

Your Committees have heard the testimony of the Department of Public Safety noting the close similarity of the measure's requirements to the duties and responsibilities of the Hawaii Correctional Systems Oversight Commission. Your Committees also note the recommendation that the Women's Correctional Implementation Commission be placed within the Hawaii Correctional Systems Oversight Commission to receive funding. Your Committees find that these issues raise concerns that merit further consideration and request that your Committee on Ways and Means further examine those issues and concerns raised by the testifiers on this measure.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs and Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3295 and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs and Human Services,

________________________________ JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair

________________________________ CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair