Hawaii Public Safety Director Nolan Espinda is facing a tough confirmation process in the Senate as he seeks to continue overseeing the state’s prisons and jails, as well as the state’s sheriffs and narcotics enforcement divisions, for another four years.

The Senate Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs Committee on Thursday delayed making a decision on whether to advise the full Senate to reconfirm Espinda as Gov. David Ige’s pick to lead the department after hearing two hours of testimony from both supporters and opponents.

The committee, headed by Sen. Clarence Nishihara, will make a decision Thursday, but not before holding an informational briefing Tuesday to discuss a recent riot at the jail on Maui, among other issues.

Nishihara has said that he won’t support Espinda’s confirmation, but told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that he isn’t sure where the full Senate stands at this point.

On March 11 more than three dozen inmates at the Maui Community Correctional Center refused to return to their cells and broke fire sprinklers, which shot water into the common area. Inmates also started a fire and broke property. The uprising, which took more than three hours to contain, caused $5.3 million in damage to the jail, according to DPS.

The recent riot has added to Espinda’s troubles as he seeks confirmation. Just days prior to the riot, a 47-year-old inmate at the Oahu Community Correctional Center was fatally shot while trying to escape in what Espinda acknowledged was a “major mistake.” And in February a sheriff’s deputy fatally shot a disabled, homeless man at the state Capitol.

There also have been more than two dozen suicides at Hawaii’s prisons and jails since 2010, and the department has continued to have problems with holding inmates past their scheduled release dates.

The state’s corrections system has long been plagued with problems, including severely overcrowded and dilapidated conditions. How much of that should be blamed on Espinda was a subject of debate Thursday.

Cramer Mahoe, acting warden at the Kulani Correctional Facility, provided written testimony in support of Espinda’s confirmation, saying overcrowded and inadequate jails and prisons have overwhelmed the department, problems that Espinda inherited.

“Through it all, Director Espinda continues to forge ahead with his agenda to right the ship and make the difference needed to improve the image and conditions of our department,” wrote Mahoe.

Other top corrections staff also have come out in support of Espinda, as has the United Public Workers, a union representing close to 1,300 corrections officers and food service and maintenance workers.

But other guards, sheriffs and staff of the department have spoken out in opposition to Espinda’s leadership, describing in testimony an environment of retaliation and dysfunction, including understaffing in jails that has led to dangerous conditions.

Espinda defended his record of leadership in testimony to the Senate committee. He cited significant improvements in inmate visitation and sheriff training, as well as a decline in escapes by furloughed inmates, among other accomplishments.

“This is a challenging job. This is a tough job,” Espinda said.