HB5

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	5
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating to public safety.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that Restorative Circles is a pilot program that has been in place at the Waiawa correctional facility since March 2005. The program is based on the methodological tool known as "restorative justice," which aims to address the unresolved issues faced by victims, offenders, and their families. The program brings together victims, offenders, and their personal supporters in a carefully managed, safe environment. The process is both a powerful healing tool and a way to empower victims to make decisions about how to repair the harm caused by offenses.

Participation in the program is voluntary and only available to victims who want to participate and to inmates who want to reconcile with their victims. The process begins when an inmate requests a "restorative circle" from the inmate's case worker. A restorative circle is a group process that requires an impartial, trained, and experienced community facilitator to meet with the inmate. The facilitator and the inmate discuss the protocol, and determine who the inmate has harmed by the inmate's past behavior and who the inmate wants to invite for support. Each restorative circle is about three hours, with half of the time devoted to reconciliation and the other half devoted to developing a reentry transition plan. To date, there have been approximately twenty-seven restorative circles with a one hundred per cent satisfaction rate reported by the participating victims, offenders, and prison staff.

This innovative Hawaii pilot program has been highlighted by Federal Probation Journal, Honolulu Magazine, and KITV News. The program recently expanded to the women's community correctional center. Considering that ninety-five per cent of all inmates will eventually be released back into the community, a program such as this one is vital because it helps an offender take responsibility for past behavior and plan for release.

SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ , or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2007-2008, and the same sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009, for the expansion of the restorative circles pilot program to other correctional facilities statewide.

SECTION 3. The department of public safety shall contract the services of a health and human services provider to establish restorative circles pilot programs in other correctional facilities statewide. The contract shall be executed in accordance with chapter 103F, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

SECTION 4. The sums appropriated in section 2 shall be expended by the department of public safety for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2007.

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________