Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 1415 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish a permanent drug court in the first circuit on Oahu, and to appropriate funds for substance abuse treatment programs for inmates and parolees, including boot camp programs.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Judiciary, Department of Public Safety (PSD), Hawaii Paroling Authority, Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney, and Honolulu Police Department. The following submitted testimony in support of part I and in opposition to part II: Community Alliance on Prisons, American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii, and Kako'o 'Ohana Pa'ahao.

Your Committee finds that since the inception of the drug court in 1996, the program has proven to be extremely successful. The goal of the program is to provide early and consistent intervention to the substance abuser. It prepares participants to lead productive, crime free lives. The program has had a positive impact on prison overcrowding, probation and parole casework loads, and caseloads in general in the circuit court. Your Committee believes that the drug court program should be made permanent.

The intent of your Committee is that the appropriation contained in this measure will maximize the number of eligible candidates in the drug court program. Your Committee believes that in seeking to maximize the number of eligible candidates, the drug court should not preclude a candidate from eligibility solely because the court determines that the candidate is not among those who are likely to complete the program successfully.

Your Committee has amended this measure by referring to the drug court as the drug court program, deleting reference to Judiciary positions and boot camp, and deleting the appropriation to PSD because it does not fit under the title of this measure.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1415, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1415, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.