STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1658

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  S.C.R. No. 135
                                        




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Judiciary and Ways and Means, to which
was referred S.C.R. No. 135 entitled:

     "SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING A MANAGEMENT AUDIT
     OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this concurrent resolution is to request a
management audit of the Department of Public Safety.

     Your Committees find that the state correctional system has
continued to be plagued by criticism for the overcrowding of
inmates in correctional facilities, insufficient staffing, staff
morale problems, staff recruitment and retention problems, and a
lack of suitable and meaningful programs for inmates.  In
addition, the state correctional system has recently been
condemned by prison inmates and their attorneys for the lack of
prompt medical attention for inmates and the use of unreasonable
and excessive force against inmates.  Your Committees further
find that these problems and deficiencies within the state
correctional system can be attributed, in part, to the failure of
the Department of Public Safety to clearly articulate its long-
term goals and policies.

     Your Committees recognize that during these critical times,
it is essential that outmoded administrative practices and
attitudes be replaced with new and innovative techniques and
attitudes in correctional management if the state correctional
facilities are to improve.  With the lifting of the Spear Consent

 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1658
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Decree and the conclusion of federal oversight of our
correctional facilities, it is even more imperative that
assurances are secured so that the progress which has been made
by the Department will not be undone, and that the problems which
have come to light in recent years will be proactively addressed
and remedied.  

     Therefore, your Committees find that a management audit is
crucial in assisting with the identification of past policies and
procedures that may hamper current management, including all
personnel policies or practices, including collective bargaining
agreements and grievances, which have or will affect the
Department's ability to institute management changes.

     Testimony in support of the intent of this concurrent
resolution was submitted by the Department of Public Safety and
the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your
Committees on Judiciary and Ways and Means that are attached to
this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose
of S.C.R. No. 135, and recommend its adoption.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committees on Judiciary and
                                   Ways and Means,




____________________________       ______________________________
CAROL FUKUNAGA, Co-Chair,          AVERY B. CHUMBLEY, Co-Chair,


____________________________       ______________________________
ANDREW LEVIN, Co-Chair,            MATTHEW M. MATSUNAGA, Co-Chair,


 
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