STAND

STAND. COM. REP. NO. 454

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: S.B. No. 467

S.D. 1

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 467 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CORRECTIONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to promote parity in treatment options and social service programs that are available for female offenders and female adjudicated youth in relation to their male counterparts.

Specifically, this measure:

(1) Requires the enactment of a range of similar high quality prison-based programs for female offenders and female adjudicated youth that are offered to their male counterparts;

(2) Enacts standards relating to the type of prison programs available for women that are responsive to the health, psychological, social, economic, and educational needs of women;

(3) Institutes a grant-in-aid program to allow private agencies to be actively involved in the development and implementation of programs tailored specifically for female offenders and female adjudicated youth;

(4) Imposes duties upon the Director of Public Safety regarding the implementation of the grant-in-aid program, requiring increased collaboration with women advocacy groups to ensure the success and viability of these initiatives, and providing an annual report to the Legislature on both the progress as well as issues that have arisen in the area of female offender treatment programs; and

(5) Enacts gender responsive community-based programs for female adjudicated youth and women and makes appropriations for both programs.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Hawaii Women Lawyers, the Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the Hawaii Juvenile Justice Project, the ACLU of Hawaii, Ka Hale Ho'ala Hou No Na Wahine, the Community Alliance on Prisons, Hawaii Youth Services Network, the League of Women Voters of Hawaii, and ten individuals. The Department of Public Safety testified in opposition to the measure. The Hawaii Paroling Authority offered comments on the measure.

Your Committee finds that parity issues relating to the treatment and social services available for female offenders and female adjudicated youth both in prison and in the community have been ignored for far too long by Hawaii's criminal justice system. These women and young women must be given access to at least the same level of care and programs currently provided for their male counterparts in order to break the cycle of recidivism and enable them to become productive members of society.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of clarity.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 467, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 467, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs,

		____________________________ COLLEEN HANABUSA, Chair