Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2945 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to construct an additional women's correctional center and facility to meet the current and projected needs of female inmates.

Your Committee finds that the number of women incarcerated in Hawaii is growing at a faster rate than incarcerated men. The female inmate population grew thirty-two per cent from 2001 to 2004, and the number of female parole violators rose thirty per cent during the same period. This growing female inmate population has placed a serious burden on the State's women's prison, which has lead to overcrowding problems and difficult living conditions for female inmates.

The women's prison also suffers from:

This bill would provide the funds necessary to alleviate the problems associated with an antiquated and overcrowded correctional facility by providing new, reasonable accommodations to female inmates.

Your Committee has amended the bill by making technical amendments for purposes of clarity and style.

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. 2945, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2945, S.D. 1.