21 inmates allegedly participated in Maui Community Correctional Center disturbance

Staff at the Maui Community Correctional Center have identified 21 inmates who allegedly “aggressively participated” in Monday’s disturbance at the facility.

They were transferred to the Halawa Correctional Facility on Oahu today. The inmates arrived on a charter flight at 10:45 a.m. and were transported to the facility as the internal investigation continues.

“At this point, and based on the actions of the participants, the motivation behind the disturbance and subsequent agitation appears to be dissatisfaction with conditions related to the extreme overcrowded conditions at the jail,” said Nolan Espinda, director of the Hawaii Department of Public Safety.

The correctional facility, which was designed to hold 209 inmates, had a count of 410 inmates Monday.

Toni Schwartz, spokeswoman of the Hawaii Department of Public Safety, said correctional staff are continuing to question inmates as part of the internal investigation “to determine all parties involved in all phases of the disturbance.”

The Maui Police Department is also conducting a criminal investigation.

The disturbance began Monday afternoon when a number of inmates refused to return to their module after recreation time in a common area was over. The inmates reportedly broke fire sprinklers and started a small fire in a common area.

The correctional facility was put on lockdown, which is standard procedure. Correctional staff brought the disturbance under control at about 6:30 p.m. that night. Maui police assisted.

The Hawaii Department of Public Safety initially reported no injuries. Officials have since learned two inmates sustained minor injuries. One inmate was involved in an altercation with another inmate.

The other inmate sustained a hand injury while punching a hole in a divider, Schwartz said in a news release.

The two inmates were treated at a nearby hospital and returned to the correctional facility.