STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3907

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.C.R. No. 160

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Public Safety and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 160 entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE WOMEN'S CORRECTIONS IMPLEMENTATION COMMISSION TO DEVELOP A STRATEGY AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF WOMEN INCARCERATED AT THE WOMEN'S COMMUNITY CORRECTIONAL CENTER BY TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Women's Corrections Implementation Commission to develop a strategy and make recommendations to reduce the number of women incarcerated at the Women's Community Correctional Center by twenty-five percent by 2029.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Judiciary, Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Criminal Justice Research Institute, ACLU of Hawaiʻi, Women's Prison Project, YWCA Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi Friends of Restorative Justice, Adult Friends for Youth, and five individuals.

Your Committee finds that a task force established by House Concurrent Resolution No. 85, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, Regular Session of 2016, found that the current model of prisons in the State reinforces institutionalized thought patterns and re-traumatizes women. Your Committee further finds that the lack of progress diverting women from the criminal justice system can be traced to two failings: the lack of a definite, measurable goal by which to reduce the number of incarcerated women and a lack of resources allocated to proven community-based rehabilitative programs. Your Committee concludes that it is imperative to establish policy changes regarding probation, parole, and restitution; set measurable goals to reduce the number of incarcerated women; and provide sufficient resources to community-based programs to include mental health counseling, drug and alcohol treatment, education, and job training to improve the prison system for incarcerated women and reduce the amount of women incarcerated.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 160, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 160, S.D. 1.

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

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GLENN WAKAI, Chair