Inmate family visits resume after prison staff shortages

Weekend family inmate visits were restored last weekend at the Oahu Community Correctional Center after being suspended for a month in part because of staffing shortages and budgetary concerns to curtail overtime.

Department of Public Safety spokes­­woman Toni Schwartz said prison officials hope to continue to allow family visitations this weekend if they are able to balance the continuation of certain programs as well as ensure the safety of the inmates, visitors and the adult corrections officers.

"These decisions are made on a day-by-day basis," she added.

Visiting hours on Saturday and Sunday are from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

An inmate wrote to the Star-Advertiser last week saying inmate visits have not been allowed since Aug. 11, but inmates were not given any explanation.

Schwartz said OCCC Warden Francis Sequeira is "aware that visitation is important."

However, equally important is the safety of the staff and inmates, she added.

Schwartz said if a corrections officer calls in sick, then the replacement has to be paid overtime.

To ensure the safety of visitors and inmates, there must be at least three adult corrections officers in the visitation room.

Ideally, there should be four, Schwartz said. The prison is considered to be overcrowded with 1,239 inmates as of Aug. 27, its last official prison census. The official capacity of the prison is 954 inmates.

However, Schwartz said the staff shortage has not hit a critical level.

The Kalihi facility holds pretrial detainees and convicted felons, including women.

Schwartz said the department’s concern is safety for its guards, visitors and inmates.

Currently, 38 of the department’s 400 prison staff positions are vacant.

Schwartz said the department will ask for more positions during the upcoming legislative session.