STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3311

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.R. No. 64

       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.R. No. 64 entitled:

"SENATE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY TO ESTABLISH AN EARNED-TIME PROGRAM THAT REDUCES THE MINIMUM PERIOD OF TIME THAT INMATES MUST WAIT TO BECOME ELIGIBLE FOR PAROLE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to request the Department of Public Safety to establish an earned-time program that reduces the minimum period of time that inmates must wait to become eligible for parole.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Hawaii Paroling Authority, Community Alliance on Prisons, the Drug Policy Forum of Hawai‘i, and three individual citizens.  Testimony in opposition of this measure was submitted by the Department of Public Safety and Department of the Prosecuting Attorney, City and County of Honolulu.

     Your Committee finds that providing Hawaii inmates incarcerated in Hawaii and on the mainland with an early parole eligibility program has the benefits of reducing inmate overcrowding and increasing the inmate's likelihood of successful reintegration into the community.  Your Committee also finds that in order to have a successful early parole eligibility program, the appropriate needs and criteria for the program need to be researched and analyzed before a program is established.

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure and its title by removing the establishment of an earned-time program and instead requesting the Department of Public Safety to research and study early parole eligibility programs in other jurisdictions before establishing an earned-time program.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 64, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.R. No. 64, S.D. 1.

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

____________________________

WILL ESPERO, Chair