STAND. COM. REP. NO. 168

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 913

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Public Safety, to which was referred S.B. No. 913 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PAROLE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to promote the effective reintegration of incarcerated persons into society upon their release.

     Specifically, the measure allows the Hawaii Paroling Authority to parole incarcerated persons to counties in the State where they have the most community and familial support, even if that county does not meet the minimum population requirement and was not the county of the incarcerated person's permanent residence or occupation or employment prior to incarceration.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Hawaii Paroling Authority, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Community Alliance on Prisons, Maui Economic Opportunity, Inc., and an individual.

     Your Committee finds that allowing an incarcerated person to be paroled in the county where that person has the most familial and community support is important to the incarcerated person's successful reintegration into society, reducing the likelihood of relapsing into criminal activity, and reducing the likelihood of reincarceration.  Under existing law, the committed person is limited to parole in the county where that person had a permanent residence or occupation or employment prior to incarceration, unless the committed person will reside in a county with a population exceeding 800,000, or will immediately leave the State.  This prevents many inmates from rejoining their families and other supporters and from being able to participate in valuable reentry programs located outside of Honolulu, including the Being Empowered and Safe Together Program on Maui.

     Your Committee further finds that in relocating the qualified incarcerated person to their county of most support, the incarcerated person's rehabilitation and training programs, such as work furlough, should not be interrupted.  These programs are important to the incarcerated person's successful reintegration into society and the prevention of reincarceration.

     Your Committee further finds that the expense of the relocation of the incarcerated person to the alternate county should be at the expense of the incarcerated person.  This would be in line with current policy of relocation of a formerly incarcerated person once that person is finished with parole and ready to go back to their county of choice. 

     This measure was amended to provide the Department of Public Safety and the Hawaii Paroling Authority with notice and opportunity to review the incarcerated person's request, make any required adjustments to the incarcerated person's sequential phasing process, and provide that the incarcerated person be responsible for relocation expenses.

     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. 913, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 913, 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