STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1726

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.C.R. No. 61

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committees on Health and Public Safety, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 61 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A FORENSIC FACILITY,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to improve the mental health forensic services for inmates of Hawaii state correctional facilities.

     Specifically, this measure requests the establishment of a forensic facility and establishes a task force that is to report to the Legislature on the plans, site selection, budget, construction, recommendations, and other relevant matters relating to the establishment of the facility. 

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Community Alliance on Prisons; Hawaii Disability Rights Center; Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL‑CIO; and eight individuals.  Testimony in opposition to this measure was submitted by the Department of Public Safety.  Comments on this measure were submitted by the Department of Health and one individual.

     Your Committees find that expanded forensic services to mentally ill individuals incarcerated in state correctional facilities is sorely needed.

     This measure was amended by broadening its scope to request that the Department of Health and Public Safety consider the expansion of existing facilities as well as the establishment of a new facility, in recognition of the fact that there are existing, though insufficient facilities at the state hospital.  This measure was also amended to acknowledge the establishment and work of the task force established by the 2006 Legislature through Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 117, S.D. 1, which was tasked with evaluating procedural, policy and statutory changes as well as community-based health services to minimize the Hawaii state hospital census.  The title of this measure was also amended to reflect these changes.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Public Safety that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 61, as amended herein, and recommend its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 61, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Health and Public Safety,

____________________________ WILL ESPERO, Chair

____________________________ DAVID Y. IGE, Chair