HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	260
TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2011
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

RECOGNIZING AND COMMENDING THE OFFICE OF HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS FOR ITS STUDY ON THE DISPARATE TREATMENT OF NATIVE HAWAIIANS IN THE CRIMINAL-JUSTICE SYSTEM.

     WHEREAS, in the Regular Session of 2009, the Legislature adopted House Concurrent Resolution No. 27, H.D. 1, requesting that the Office of Hawaiian Affairs contract with a nationally respected and objective consulting firm to conduct a study of disparate treatment of Native Hawaiians in Hawaii's criminal-justice system; and

     WHEREAS, in conducting the study, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs forged collaborative research partnerships with the Justice Policy Institute of Washington, D.C.; Georgetown University; and the University of Hawaii at Manoa's William S. Richardson School of Law, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, and Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work; and

     WHEREAS, the study demonstrated groundbreaking research and analysis, using both quantitative and qualitative methods and including the voices of Native Hawaiians about the criminal-justice system and its effect on their lives; and

     WHEREAS, the study employed community-based participatory methods with guidance and support through an advisory council comprising Native Hawaiian clinicians and practitioners from community organizations, such as Alu Like, Inc.; Queen Liliuokalani Children's Center; and the Community Alliance on Prisons; and

     WHEREAS, the study found, among other disparities, that after controlling for age, gender, and severity of charge, Native Hawaiians are sentenced to more days in prison, and receive longer probation, than most other ethnic groups; and

     WHEREAS, the study also found that the disproportionate impact of the criminal-justice system on Native Hawaiians accumulates at each stage of the system; and

     WHEREAS, following its release by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs in September 2010, the study report, titled "The Disparate Treatment of Native Hawaiians in the Criminal Justice System," has been widely noted and referenced in Hawaii and across the nation, contributing significantly to a greater understanding of the impact of the criminal-justice system on individuals of all ethnic groups and on society at large; and

     WHEREAS, the report contained constructive recommendations to reduce the unfair impact of the criminal-justice system on Native Hawaiians, including:

     (1)  Reforming the criminal-justice system in Hawaii to embrace the cultural values of Native Hawaiians;

     (2)  Establishing a task force to review the findings and recommendations of the report; and

     (3)  Concentrating efforts to reduce the punitive aspects of the criminal-justice system;

and

     WHEREAS, the report is imaginatively and artistically presented, with a remarkable mix of artwork, text, and statistics that lend it cultural, historical, and methodological depth and enhance its readability; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2011, that this body hereby recognizes and commends the Office of Hawaiian Affairs for its study on the disparate treatment of Native Hawaiians in the criminal-justice system; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Recognizing and commending the Office of Hawaiian Affairs for its study on the disparate treatment of Native Hawaiians in the criminal-justice system