REPORT TITLE:
Prisons


DESCRIPTION:
Authorizes the director of public safety to enter into contracts
with private entities to manage in-state correctional facilities
constructed after the effective date of this Act; requires that
certain contractual provisions be included within the contract
awarded to the private entity. (SD1)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        
THE SENATE                              S.B. NO.           2433
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
________________________________________________________________
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                   A  BILL  FOR  AN  ACT

RELATING TO PRISONS.



BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 1      SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that the State can no
 
 2 longer afford to postpone its need for the construction of a new
 
 3 prison and the additional bed spaces it will provide.  For
 
 4 example, Halawa correctional facility is the only medium security
 
 5 prison in the State and is currently overcrowded by more than
 
 6 double its capacity, even with the 1,200 inmates housed in
 
 7 mainland facilities.  The legislature further finds that as
 
 8 overcrowding continues, the State is placed in an extremely
 
 9 vulnerable position with regards to exposure for civil rights
 
10 violations and security risks.
 
11      The legislature notes that under existing law, the governor
 
12 and the director of public safety have the authority to act to
 
13 reduce prison overcrowding.  Pursuant to section 353-16.3, Hawaii
 
14 Revised Statutes, the governor may negotiate with an out-of-state
 
15 jurisdiction to develop a Hawaii correctional facility in that
 
16 other jurisdiction.  In addition, sections 353-16.35 and 353-
 
17 16.36, Hawaii Revised Statutes, authorize the governor to
 
18 negotiate with private entities for the development and
 
19 construction of in-state correctional facilities, which the State
 
20 or a private entity may own.  Section 353-16.2, Hawaii Revised
 

 
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 1 Statutes, clearly authorizes Hawaii inmates to be housed in out-
 
 2 of-state facilities that are owned by other state governments or
 
 3 private entities, and that are managed, operated, or staffed by
 
 4 non-State of Hawaii personnel.  The legislature further notes
 
 5 that similar authorization has not been enacted to permit in-
 
 6 state, privately developed and owned correctional facilities to
 
 7 be managed, operated, or staffed by non-State of Hawaii
 
 8 personnel.  In addition, the legislature has not authorized the
 
 9 governor or the director of public safety to contract with a
 
10 private entity to manage, operate, or staff state-owned new or
 
11 existing correctional facilities.
 
12      In Konno v. County of Hawaii, 85 Haw. 69 (1997), the Supreme
 
13 Court concluded that absent legislative authorization for non-
 
14 civil servants to perform services customarily and historically
 
15 performed by civil servants, such services must be performed by
 
16 civil servants.  The State's correctional facilities have been
 
17 staffed customarily and historically by employees of the State
 
18 who are civil servants.  If in-state correctional facilities,
 
19 particularly those developed by private entities to relieve
 
20 prison overcrowding, are to be staffed by persons other than
 
21 civil servants, express authority for implementing such a
 
22 staffing plan must be conferred by the Legislature.
 
23      The legislature realizes that precedent exists for the
 

 
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 1 private sector to assist the State with its corrections-related
 
 2 responsibilities.  Section 352-3, Hawaii Revised Statutes,
 
 3 authorizes the department of human services, to contract with
 
 4 private non-profit and profit agencies to provide residential
 
 5 youth facilities, to assist the department in providing for the
 
 6 incarceration, punishment, and institutional care and services to
 
 7 reintegrate juvenile law violators into our communities and
 
 8 families.  In addition, grants, subsidies, and purchase of
 
 9 service contracts with private entities have been used for years
 
10 to deliver rehabilitative programs to adults and youths committed
 
11 to the State's youth and correctional facilities.
 
12      While the legislature believes that private entities should
 
13 be given the opportunity to compete for the management and
 
14 operation of any new correctional facilities, the legislature
 
15 firmly believes that a new correctional facility should be
 
16 developed and constructed within the State.
 
17      Therefore, the purpose of this bill is to:
 
18      (1)  Authorize the director of public safety, with the
 
19           approval of the governor, to enter into contracts with
 
20           private entities to operate and staff in-state
 
21           correctional facilities constructed after the effective
 
22           date of this Act; and
 
23      (2)  Repeal section 353-16.3, Hawaii Revised Statutes, that
 

 
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 1           grants the governor the authority to negotiate with an
 
 2           out-of-state jurisdiction to develop a Hawaii
 
 3           correctional facility in that other jurisdiction.
 
 4      SECTION 2.  Chapter 353, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended
 
 5 by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to
 
 6 read as follows:
 
 7      "§353-      Contracting with private entities for the
 
 8 management and operation of an in-state correctional facility.
 
 9 (a)  Notwithstanding any provision of chapters 76, 77, 89, 103,
 
10 171, or 343, Hawaii Revised Statutes, or any county ordinance to
 
11 the contrary, the director, with the approval of the governor,
 
12 may enter into contracts in the name of the State, consistent
 
13 with chapter 103D or 103F, to obtain any and all services
 
14 appropriate and necessary to manage and operate an in-state
 
15 correctional facility constructed pursuant to section 353-16.35.
 
16 The contracts may be between the State and the private entity
 
17 that develops or constructs the new in-state correctional
 
18 facility, or with any other qualified private entity.  The
 
19 director shall appoint a state monitor to oversee all aspects of
 
20 the management and operation of the facility and to report to the
 
21 director any conditions which the monitor perceives to be a
 
22 threat to the safety of the inmates, the employees, and the
 
23 public.
 

 
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 1      (b)  Any contract executed pursuant to this section shall
 
 2 include, but not be limited to, the following provisions:
 
 3      (1)  The private entity shall notify the director of any
 
 4           inmate escapes or attempted escapes;
 
 5      (2)  The private entity shall be assessed a financial
 
 6           sanction for any inmate escapes and for failure to
 
 7           notify the director of such escapes;
 
 8      (3)  The private entity shall provide access to all areas of
 
 9           the correctional facility to the state monitor at all
 
10           times;
 
11      (4)  The private entity shall comply with the standards set
 
12           by any applicable national accreditation bodies
 
13           selected by the director;
 
14      (5)  The private entity shall provide reasonable access to
 
15           educational and rehabilitative programs for inmates;
 
16      (6)  In the event of a strike, the State shall be authorized
 
17           to take over management and operation of the facility;
 
18      (7)  Any renewal of the contract shall be contingent, in
 
19           part, upon the State's satisfaction with the recidivism
 
20           rates of former inmates housed within the privately
 
21           managed and operated prison; and
 
22      (8)  The private entity shall submit an annual financial and
 
23           management report to the legislature twenty days prior
 

 
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 1           to the convening of the regular session.
 
 2      (c)  This section shall apply only to an in-state
 
 3 correctional facility constructed after the effective date of
 
 4 this section."
 
 5      SECTION 3.  Section 353-16.35, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
 6 amended to read as follows:
 
 7      "[[]§353-16.35[]]  Development of in-state correctional
 
 8 facilities.  (a) Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary,
 
 9 the governor, with the assistance of the director, may negotiate
 
10 with any person for the development of private in-state
 
11 correctional facilities or public in-state turnkey correctional
 
12 facilities, to reduce prison overcrowding.  Any development
 
13 proposal shall address the construction of the facility separate
 
14 from the operation of the facility and shall consider and
 
15 include:
 
16      (1)  The percentage of low, medium, and high security
 
17           inmates and the number of prison beds needed to
 
18           incarcerate each of the foregoing classes of inmates;
 
19      (2)  The facility's impact on existing infrastructure, and
 
20           an assessment of improvements and additions that will
 
21           be necessary;
 
22      (3)  The facility's impact on available modes of
 
23           transportation, including airports, roads, and
 

 
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 1           highways; and
 
 2      (4)  A useful life costs analysis.
 
 3 For the purposes of this section, "useful life costs" means an
 
 4 economic evaluation that compares alternate building and
 
 5 operating methods and provides information on the design,
 
 6 construction methods, and materials to be used with respect to
 
 7 efficiency in building maintenance and facilities operation.
 
 8      (b)  The governor may enter into and execute contracts in
 
 9 the name of the State with any private entity to construct and
 
10 then lease or purchase correctional facilities on public or
 
11 private lands for the benefit of the State.
 
12      (c)  The director, with the assistance of appropriate state
 
13 agencies, shall provide criteria, guidelines, and specifications
 
14 for the development of the facility.
 
15      (d)  Any contract issued pursuant to this section shall
 
16 comply with the provisions of section 353-16.67."
 
17      SECTION 4.  Section 353-16.3, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
18 repealed.
 
19      ["§353-16.3  Development of out-of-state Hawaii correctional
 
20 facilities.  Notwithstanding any other provision to the contrary,
 
21 the governor, with the assistance of the director, may negotiate
 
22 with any appropriate out-of-state jurisdiction for the
 
23 development of Hawaii correctional facilities to reduce prison
 

 
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 1 overcrowding; provided that any agreement negotiated pursuant to
 
 2 this section shall be subject to legislative approval by
 
 3 concurrent resolution in any regular or special session."]
 
 4      SECTION 5.  Section 353-16.36, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
 5 repealed.
 
 6      ["[§353-16.36]  Contracts for construction of correctional
 
 7 facilities by private entities.  The governor may enter into and
 
 8 execute contracts in the name of the State with any private
 
 9 entity to construct and then lease or purchase correctional
 
10 facilities on public or private lands for the benefit of the
 
11 State."]
 
12      SECTION 6.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed.
 
13 New statutory material is underscored.
 
14      SECTION 7.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.