HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	186
TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2009
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

requesting THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY TO UNDERTAKE a Feasibility study related to inmate re-integration.

     WHEREAS, Hawaii's prisons are so over-crowded that prisoners are being sent to the mainland United States, effectively severing them from their families and other support systems; and

     WHEREAS, a recent report found that many inmates currently being held in facilities on the mainland United States meet the requirements for community-based treatment; and

     WHEREAS, there is a large number of inmates in Hawaii's two minimum security prisons who qualify for re-integration programs, including community release programs; and

     WHEREAS, re-integration programs include work release, community service, and workline programs; and

     WHEREAS, inmates who are a minimum security risk have shown they can function in the community under direct supervision; and

     WHEREAS, re-integration programs have been shown to reduce recidivism rates by providing inmates with the tools to effectively function in the community while maintaining the safety of the community; and

     WHEREAS, inmates can access adequate support systems and make a positive contribution to society through re-integration programs; and

     WHEREAS, re-integration programs provide mutually beneficial results for inmates and the community by creating more business and work opportunities; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2009, that the Department of Public Safety (DPS) is requested to study the feasibility of:

     (1)  Adopting a policy that mandates all inmates to participate in in-facility programs, including workline programs; and

     (2)  Increasing the scope and number of workline programs it currently operates at its prison and jail facilities;

and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that DPS is requested to report its findings, including cost implications, statutory or other legal impediments, and proposals for new legislation if necessary, to the Legislature no later than 20 days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2010; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Public Safety and the Director of Human Resources Development.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Inmate Re-integration Programs