The work furlough program that’s run by the state Department of Public Safety to prepare inmates for their return to the community is necessary and, in the majority of cases, a successful enterprise.
But there are gaps in oversight and, evidently, in the inmates’ screening and instruction leading up to their participation. In the past several days, those flaws have put the public at risk, with five Oahu Community Correctional Center inmates failing to return from work-furlough passes.
This lapse demands prompt corrective action — principally by instituting electronic monitoring in the program.
The current spree began April 5 when Isaiah Kaisa did not return from a job by an early-morning deadline. He turned himself in Monday; that same day, William Williams failed to return to the Laumaka Work Furlough Center at his scheduled 4:30 a.m. time; he was caught Tuesday in Kaneohe.
But also on Tuesday, Robert Gibson and Kalai Tavares were no-shows at 5 p.m. They ultimately were arrested in connection with allegedly kidnapping a man and three women; the investigation of that case also involves suspicion of second-degree robbery and impersonating a police officer.
Finally, Ikaika Nixon, 30, left at 12:20 p.m. Wednesday on a job-seeking pass but failed to return at 5 p.m., as scheduled. More than two days later, the convicted robber was still at large.
The public is justified in feeling appalled by this spectacle of a revolving door.
DPS spokeswoman Toni Schwartz said the overall numbers underscore the overall value of the program. In the period between March 1, 2014, and the present, a total of 355 OCCC inmates have cycled through the program, and 328 completed it successfully. Of the 27 "walk-offs," she said, all but three either were just late or were guilty of offenses that affected only themselves, such as drug use.
But it’s those few who actually do commit a more serious offense that warrant a serious review of the program. DPS is studying options for electronic monitors, Schwartz said, but the agency’s timetable should be accelerated.
DPS had testified in favor of Senate Bill 1020, a measure aimed at funding an electronic monitoring program. It was introduced by state Sen. Will Espero but wasn’t heard by those with influence over the public purse strings in that chamber, the Ways and Means Committee.
Espero said that the measure itself is dead for this year, but acknowledged the possibility that funds for the program could be added to the state budget in the current session. The amounts sought in SB 1020 were sizable: For each year of the next biennium it would have set aside $200,000 for DPS and $100,000 for the Judiciary, to be spent on electronic monitoring.
Even if the full amounts are not possible this year, the possibility of securing some funds in the current budget year should be pursued to begin developing the program.
SB 1020 garnered the support of the Community Alliance on Prisons. However, its coordinator, Kat Brady, testified that staff must be trained "on how to identify the best candidates for the monitors" to avoid "wasting time and resources on individuals who pose no risk to public safety."
Schwartz said DPS agreed that monitoring makes the most sense for inmates who are on furlough undergoing job interviews. Although these interviews are set up in advance at known work sites, they are going from place to place and are harder to track without the monitors, she added.
She also said the department would reconsider the steps it takes to identify inmates who lack impulse control and may be drawn to deal with family problems or generally to go off course while on furlough. Such a revision clearly is in order.
Most inmates in the corrections system are bound for release at some point. The state must do its best to give them their best chance at staying on the right side of the law, and job preparation is essential.
But so is a reasonable precaution to protect the public, and to use the technology that makes it possible.
