Report Title:
Children of Incarcerated Parents Task Force
Description:
Establishes in law the children of incarcerated parents task force through 2007. Appropriates funds. (CD1)
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THE SENATE |
S.B. NO. |
3215 |
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TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2006 |
S.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
H.D. 2 |
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C.D. 1 |
A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO CHILDREN.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 128, Regular Session 2005, requested the department of public safety and the department of human services to jointly establish a task force to examine issues affecting the children of incarcerated parents and to propose solutions to those issues, as well as methods to break the cycle of crime and violence in these families. Specifically, the task force was requested to:
(1) Develop a system to identify children of incarcerated parents;
(2) Develop programs and support services for these children;
(3) Provide support for incarcerated parents, where appropriate; and
(4) Develop programs to strengthen these families.
During the interim period following the 2005 regular session, the department of public safety and the department of human services established the children of incarcerated parents task force as requested. The task force met three times, but there was insufficient time to adequately research, discuss, and prepare feasible proposals for programs to address the needs of children of incarcerated parents.
The purpose of this Act is to extend the term of the children of incarcerated parents task force so it can continue to develop programs to aid children of incarcerated parents, to strengthen these families, and to break the cycle of crime and violence within them.
SECTION 2. (a) The children of incarcerated parents task force, which was established by Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 128, regular session 2005, shall continue to operate through December 31, 2007. The task force shall be attached to the department of human services for administrative purposes.
(b) The task force shall include members as follows:
(1) The director of public safety or a designee;
(2) The deputy director of the corrections division of the department of public safety or a designee;
(3) The institutions division administrator of the community correctional centers and the correctional facilities or a designee;
(4) The director of health or a designee;
(5) The director of human services or a designee;
(6) The executive director of the office of youth services or a designee;
(7) The chief justice of the supreme court or a designee;
(8) A member of the board of trustees of the office of Hawaiian affairs or a designee;
(9) A representative of the family court of the first circuit;
(10) The superintendent of education or a designee;
(11) The attorney general or a designee;
(12) The prosecuting attorney of each county or a designee;
(13) A representative of child protective services;
(14) The director of the Children's Justice Center of Oahu or a designee;
(15) A representative from the adult probation division;
(16) A member representing each of the county police departments appointed by the respective police chiefs;
(17) A public member with advocacy experience working on behalf of children of incarcerated parents to be selected by Blueprint for Change;
(18) A public member with advocacy experience working on behalf of children of incarcerated parents to be selected by Child and Family Services;
(19) A public member with advocacy experience working on behalf of children of incarcerated parents to be selected by the Community Alliance on Prisons;
(20) A public member with advocacy experience working on behalf of children of incarcerated parents to be selected by the Good Beginnings Alliance;
(21) A public member with advocacy experience working on behalf of children of incarcerated parents to be selected by the Hawaii Juvenile Justice Project;
(22) A public member with advocacy experience working on behalf of children of incarcerated parents to be selected by Keiki O Ka Aina Family Learning Centers;
(23) A public member with advocacy experience working on behalf of children of incarcerated parents to be selected by Neighborhood Place of Puna;
(24) A public member with advocacy experience working on behalf of children of incarcerated parents to be selected by Neighborhood Place of Wailuku;
(25) Public members with experience working with children of incarcerated parents to be selected by the Children's Justice Center;
(26) A representative of the Queen Liliuokalani Children's Center;
(27) A faculty member of the University of Hawaii department of sociology or a designee; and
(28) The administrator of the intake service centers of the department of public safety or a designee.
(c) The task force shall:
(1) Develop a system to identify children of incarcerated parents in Hawaii and to make referrals as appropriate;
(2) Determine the impact that parental incarceration has on children of incarcerated parents;
(3) Identify the needs of children of incarcerated parents and develop responsive programs;
(4) Identify local programs and models, including neighbor island programs and models; and
(5) Review other jurisdictions' activities, policies, directives, and laws relating to children of incarcerated parents and derive best practices models therefrom.
(d) The members of the task force shall select the chairperson of the task force from among themselves and shall be reimbursed for expenses, including travel expenses, necessary for the performance of their duties.
(e) The department of public safety and the department of human services shall each provide support services necessary to assist the task force in achieving its purpose as required under this Act.
(f) This task force shall cease to exist after December 31, 2007.
(g) The task force shall publish and present a final report to the legislature and the general public no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2008. The report shall be available in printed form and on a website accessible to the public over the Internet.
The final report shall include:
(1) A summary of significant findings regarding children of incarcerated parents;
(2) Statistics indicating the number of children with incarcerated parents in the State, including data on age, educational, financial, geographic, and socioeconomic demographics of incarcerated parents;
(3) Data and analysis to determine the relationship between specific variables and frequency of parental incarceration;
(4) Data and analysis to determine the relationship between parental incarceration and various adverse outcomes for children of incarcerated parents;
(5) Case studies of children of incarcerated parents;
(6) Recommendations as to whether the task force should be further extended;
(7) Multiple theoretical models for improving the welfare and general well-being of children of incarcerated parents; and
(8) Proposed legislation, if any.
SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $25,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2006-2007, for reimbursement for expenses, including travel expenses, incurred by members of the children of incarcerated parents task force and for any administrative costs of the task force.
The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of human services for the purposes of this Act.
SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2006.