Move ahead with prison reform

Hawaii’s prisons have overflowed in recent years, spilling over inmates to private incarceration on the mainland, and state legislators finally are on the verge of taking a major step forward in reducing the population behind bars without compromising public safety. The Legislature should approve bills that would more likely than not put past criminals on a straight and narrow path.

Too many Americans are doing time in prison throughout the country, and Hawaii is no exception. The proposals to Hawaii’s legislators resulted from an eight-month study called the Justice Reinvestment Initiative, prepared by the Council of State Governments Justice Center.

Authors of the study found that Hawaii’s pre-trial process was among the longest in the nation. Also, many convicted prisoners complete their entire sentences behind bars, without subsequent supervision. They are thus more likely to commit future crimes and return to prison.

Correcting those policies could significantly reduce Hawaii’s prison population, thus allowing many of the 1,750 now serving terms at privately run institutions in Arizona to return to the islands, a goal of Gov. Neil Abercrombie. Within six years, the number of Hawaii inmates in Arizona would drop by nearly 1,200 if the proposed changes are made in the system, according to the Justice Center.

"We want to stop the practice of sending our prisoners out of state because it sends public dollars out of Hawaii instead of creating jobs and community service opportunities here at home," Abercrombie testified to legislators.

One of the proposals, House Bill 2515, would allow certain second-time drug offenders to qualify for a probation sentence instead of mandatory imprisonment. More than half of drug offenders behind bars score low or medium in terms of risk of committing other crimes, according to Jodi Maesaka-Hirata, state director of public safety.

Companion Senate Bill 2776 calls for the release of felons from their prison terms some six to 18 months prior to the maximum sentencing date, depending on the level of felony. That would allow for post-prison mandatory supervision and participation in re-entry programs. Convicted felons should not be allowed to avoid post-term supervision by "maxing out" behind bars.

The proposals carry a price tag of $7 million, nearly half of which would go to community-based programs, risk assessment and related oversight aspects, and $2 million would go to victim services. That is little when compared with an estimated savings of $150 million by bringing inmates back from Arizona and releasing low-risk inmates at an appropriate time.

Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Keith Kaneshiro has opposed many of the provisions, what he described as "releasing (inmates) from prison so we can cut down the costs of incarceration." He expressed concern that inmates would be released before the programs are in place — a legitimate worry. The careful monitoring and oversight of released inmates are essential in reducing repeated crime by the same culprits.

Nonetheless, the cost of the state’s prison system cannot be allowed to rise unchecked. Finding a way to manage costs without endangering the public requires fundamental reform. The Justice Center’s findings three months ago were important in recommending changes in the state’s prison system, maintaining that they could save a net of $108 million over six years, retain public safety and reduce the number of inmates at mainland facilities.

The two measures near approval by the Legislature would be an important initial start toward that goal.