STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3527

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.C.R. No. 160

       S.D. 2

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 160, S.D. 1, entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE BUREAU TO REVIEW PAROLE POLICIES IN HAWAII AND OTHER JURISDICTIONS TO DETERMINE THE EXTENT TO WHICH PAROLE POLICIES IN HAWAII CONTRIBUTE TO THE PRISON POPULATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to request the Legislative Reference Bureau to review and compare the parole policies of this State with other jurisdictions in order to determine the impact of Hawaii's parole policies on the prison population in this State.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Community Alliance on Prisons and the Drug Policy Forum of Hawai‘i.  Comments on this measure were submitted by the Hawaii Paroling Authority and the Legislative Reference Bureau.

     Your Committee finds that parole policies aim to protect our communities while relieving the correctional system from overcrowding.  An independent review and examination of the parole policies in Hawaii and other jurisdictions by the Legislative Reference Bureau would benefit the correctional system in Hawaii.

     Your Committee also finds that the Hawaii Paroling Authority has adjusted many of its policies in recent years such that the parole policies identified in a 2005 Urban Institute study as having an adverse impact on prison populations are not relevant in Hawaii.  In addition, it is not clear that the effect of parole policies can clearly be quantified in cause and effect terms.  However, objective information will assist the Legislature and the Hawaii Paroling Authority in determining to what extent Hawaii's parole policies contribute to the prison population and whether Hawaii's policies need to be further adjusted.

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1)  Deleting the reference to the 2005 Urban Institute study;

(2)  Requesting the Legislative Reference Bureau to focus its efforts on reviewing parole policies in Hawaii and other jurisdictions using specific criteria and examining parolee recidivism rates under those policies in terms of various specified demographics; and

(3)  Changing the title of the measure to reflect the change in its focus.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 160, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 160, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair