A Hawaii convict serving time in Arizona wants to receive letters from his relatives written in Hawaiian — going so far as to sue the state Department of Public Safety over its English-only mail policy. But, ultimately, there are rights that must be given up while behind bars. If letters written in Hawaiian are allowed, what prevents other inmates from receiving mail penned in, say, Laotian or Tagalog?

Still, the Native Hawaiian Legal Corp. filed a lawsuit against DPS and its director in state court Thursday on behalf of Arthur Vinhaca, who is serving a 40-year prison term for multiple counts of sexual assault. The suit claims the policy unduly burdens communications between families and their loved ones behind bars.

The rules are there for a practical reason, yes, but another wrinkle might be that in Hawaii, both English and Hawaiian are the state’s official languages.

Private schools on treadmill, too

This likely won’t make anyone feel any better, but the rising cost of private school tuition — 3 percent at the state’s largest private schools — is not a uniquely Hawaii phenomenon.

Each school here likely could tell its own story. But nationally, according to a report from Private School Review, rising costs of goods and services have contributed to that trend, as well as salary boosts for faculty and staff.

If only everyone’s salary increased at a rate to keep up with all these household costs — including, for those who can afford it, private school tuition.