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THE SENATE |
S.C.R. NO. |
36 |
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THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2020 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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SENATE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
Requesting the department of public safety to allow faith pods based on kapu aloha to be established within each correctional center.
WHEREAS, native Hawaiians are severely overrepresented in the State's prison population and have a much higher recidivism rate than non-Hawaiians; and
WHEREAS, Pu‘uhonua is defined as "a place of refuge, sanctuary, asylum, place of peace and safety" and is based on Hawaiian cultural practices that can help the native Hawaiian community and the community at-large; and
WHEREAS, Pu‘uhonua is a decentralized wellness center that can act as an alternative to building more prisons in the State and is based on healing inhabitants and eventually returning them back to the community; and
WHEREAS, there is a resurgence of native Hawaiian cultural practices and an increased focus on the importance of maintaining native Hawaiian cultural practices; and
WHEREAS, non-violence has always been key to native Hawaiians, as represented in the native Hawaiian practice of kapu aloha; and
WHEREAS, incarcerated individuals, or pa‘ahao, have initiated Hawaiian cultural programs within different correctional systems known as "faith pods" throughout the nation to help promote safe spaces to heal and regain their identity as native Hawaiians; and
WHEREAS, Act 117, Session Laws of Hawaii 2012, sought to "reduce recidivism, prevent crime, and ensure long-term positive change by developing a plan to create a wellness center that reestablishes highly recognized native Hawaiian cultural practices to restore the overall well-being of persons, families, and the native Hawaiian community"; and
WHEREAS, there have been many attempts to improve the correctional system in the State but none has provided native Hawaiians with the opportunity to practice native Hawaiian cultural practices; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirtieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2020, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Public Safety is requested to allow "faith pods" based upon kapu aloha to be established within each correctional center in the State to allow incarcerated individuals a choice to reestablish recognized native Hawaiian cultural practices to restore the overall well-being of the native Hawaiian community; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to Director of Public Safety.
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OFFERED BY: |
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Native Hawaiians; Cultural Practices; Puuhonua; Wellness Centers; Faith Pods