Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 879, S.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is require the Department of Public Safety, Hawaii Paroling Authority, Judiciary, Department of Health, Department of Human Services, and any other agency with responsibility for offender substance abuse treatment to establish a coordinating body, by an interagency cooperative agreement, to develop and implement substance abuse programs for all correctional inmates who need substance abuse treatment and monitoring.

In addition, the bill: assigns primary responsibility to the Department of Health for interagency coordination of substance abuse treatment programs; applies chapter 353G, Hawaii Revised Statutes, relating to the criminal offender treatment act, to all offenders, rather than only to repeat offenders; and appropriates funds to hire a coordinator of interagency programs and to fund substance abuse treatment programs.

Your Committee finds that a significant percentage of crime, particularly property crimes and domestic abuse, is attributable to alcohol and substance abuse. Your Committee believes that incarceration is an optimal time to provide treatment for inmates suffering from addiction. Furthermore, the availability and success of inmate treatment translates directly into the rate of recidivism.

Your Committee finds current responsibility for inmate programs is shared among the Department of Public Safety, Department of Health, Hawaii Paroling Authority, and Judiciary. Your Committee believes this bill will achieve coordination among these agencies to optimize services and reduce duplication.

Your Committee has amended this bill by:

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 879, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 879, S.D. 2.