STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2504

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2546

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Public Safety, to which was referred S.B. No. 2546 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO OFFENDER REENTRY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to establish a mandatory comprehensive offender reentry system under the purview of the Department of Public Safety.

     Specifically, this measure makes the provisions of Act 8, First Special Session Laws of Hawaii 2007 (Act 8), which established a comprehensive offender reentry system directive, mandatory rather than "directory."

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Public Safety; Community Alliance on Prisons; Program Director of Maui Economic Opportunity's Being Empowered and Safe Together Reintegration Program; Office of Hawaiian Affairs; the Drug Policy Forum; and three private citizens.  Testimony in opposition to this measure was submitted by the Department of Human Services.  Comments were submitted by the Department of Taxation.

     Your Committee finds that by assisting ex-offenders in rejoining the community, this comprehensive reentry system will reduce the number of repeat offenders, and therefore, is a worthwhile investment in public safety.

     The Community Alliance on Prisons has suggested to your Committee that:

     (1)  As the Department of Public Safety is responsible for providing rehabilitation programs throughout a prisoner's incarceration, the Department should be made the lead agency responsible for developing the reentry plans and the primary agency responsible for the reintegration of ex-offenders into the community; and

     (2)  The Director of Public Safety's role in assisting and encouraging research into the impact on children whose parents are incarcerated should be defined to require the Director's provisions of technical assistance and data requests.

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Making the Department of Public Safety the lead agency responsible for the development of the reentry plans;

     (2)  Making the Department of Public Safety the primary agency for providing rehabilitation programs and assistance to those entrusted in the Department's care; and

     (3)  Clarifying that the Director of Public Safety is required to lend technical assistance and facilitate data requests to assist the Department of Human Services in coordinating and promoting research into the impact on children when parents are incarcerated.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2546, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2546, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety,

____________________________

WILL ESPERO, Chair