STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2169

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2861

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 2861 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC SAFETY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Require the Department of Public Safety to establish performance indicators or measures to be incorporated in reports that evaluate the outcomes of program components as required in Act 8, Special Session Laws of Hawaii 2007, the Community Safety Act; and

(2) Require the Department of Public Safety to submit quarterly reports to the Legislature of the established performance indicators, criminal offender treatment programs, and programs established pursuant to the Community Safety Act.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from Young Progressives Demanding Action, Life of the Land, Community Alliance on Prisons, ACLU of Hawaii, Hawaii Justice Coalition, and two individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Public Safety.

Your Committee finds that effective rehabilitation of incarcerated persons is essential for operating an effective corrections system. To that end, the Legislature passed Act 8, Special Session Laws of Hawaii 2007, also known as the Community Safety Act, which established a comprehensive offender reentry system under the purview of the Department of Public Safety. Part of that Act required that the Department submit annual reports relating to the implementation, progress, and effectiveness of the various program components specified in the Act. However, the annual reports submitted by the Department are not required to include information relating to rehabilitation program outcomes. This measure ensures the effectiveness of and makes improvements to the Department's rehabilitation and reentry programs by requiring the tracking of specific performance indicators and evaluation of data relating to participation in the programs. Moreover, your Committee finds that the reports submitted by the Department would be more easily understood and the comparative analysis would be more complete if the reports were submitted to the Legislature on a semi-annual, rather than quarterly, basis.

Further, your Committee finds that the Department of Public Safety should begin addressing the many issues relating to pretrial detainees. To that end, your Committee finds that in its report, the Department should also relay information to the Legislature about key performance indicators relating to pretrial detainees.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Adding key performance indicators relating to pretrial detainees; and

(2) Changing the reporting requirements from quarterly to semi-annually to be submitted by the first day of June and first day of December each year.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2861, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2861, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs,

________________________________

CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair