STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2663

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2772

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs and Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 2772 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FURLOUGH AND DRUG TREATMENT PROGRAMS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Create and expand existing community-based furlough programs, residential drug treatment, therapeutic living, and mental health programs for judiciary-involved women; and

(2) Create and fund a comprehensive data base regarding justice-involved women and their families to better inform decisions regarding diversion from prison, rehabilitation in prison, and transition out of prison.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Women's Prison Project; Young Women's Christian Association, O‘ahu; Hawaii Disability Rights Center; Hawaii Substance Abuse Coalition; and five individuals. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Public Safety, Department of Budget and Finance, Judiciary, and Community Alliance on Prisons.

Your Committees find that expanding diversion services for females is considerably less costly than incarceration and may also allow female offenders in the community to remain with their families and children while participating in much-needed services and treatment. Presently, the number of programs that allow minors to remain with their mothers while in treatment is limited. Expanding these existing programs would be beneficial as their capacity to provide residential treatment to women with minor children is a challenge. There is a limited number of bed spaces, which results in wait lists for mothers seeking treatment. Your Committees further find that the creation of a comprehensive database will help all justice-involved agencies to better address an offender's risks, needs, and responsivity, enabling the creation of a more complete and comprehensive plan for treatment and care. This measure will allow the State to reduce trauma for children and mothers and lower the risk of recidivism by appropriating funds to the Judiciary to create and expand existing community-based furlough programs, residential drug treatment, therapeutic living, and mental health programs for judiciary-involved women.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting an appropriation amount of $200,000;

(2) Deleting language that would have required the Judiciary to create and fund a comprehensive data base regarding justice-involved women and their families to better inform decisions regarding diversion from prison, rehabilitation in prison, and transition out of prison; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs and Judiciary that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2772, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2772, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

________________________________ KARL RHOADS, Chair

________________________________ CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair