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Question: Why don’t the correction officers use tracking devices for inmates going on work furlough? The cost of finding the inmate who doesn’t come back must be a heck of a lot more than the cost of a GPS.
Answer: They do, but they don’t have enough ankle bracelets or other GPS devices for all the inmates who could be away from prison with permission at the same time.
“Based on our current inventory of electronic monitoring units, we always strive to maximize the number of inmates utilizing this technology. The daily number of furloughed inmates on Electronic Monitoring varies with issuances and inmate work and furlough schedules. Electronic monitoring is assigned based on the furlough programs’ unit team risk evaluation and programming needs. As funding permits, we hope to maximize the number of furloughed inmates on electronic monitoring,” said Toni Schwartz, spokeswoman for the Hawaii Department of Public Safety.
For example, she said, a furlough program operated by the Oahu Community Correctional Center has 216 beds, which are almost always full, but 69 electronic monitoring devices. Furloughed inmates have varying work schedules, so they’re not all off the premises at the same time, but the disparity does illustrate that there aren’t enough monitoring devices to go around.
Furlough allows inmates who are nearing release to work paying jobs in the community and return to confinement after work.
To be clear, your question was prompted by a news story about the search for an inmate convicted of kidnapping and robbery who had failed to return as scheduled to OCCC’s Laumaka Work Furlough Center on Saturday.
On Tuesday, Honolulu police announced that a different man, who was fatally shot by police in Kailua on Monday, also was an furloughed inmate missing from Laumaka; he had failed to return as scheduled on Nov. 19.
Q: Regarding the traffic cams, what will they ticket?
A: It’s too early to say, but a policy committee has recommended that a red-light photo enforcement pilot program be created and ticket straight-through and left-turn violations (running a red light or red arrow), but not failing to stop before turning right on red, which also is a violation. Read more at 808ne.ws/18kline.
Q: My teenage son never took the road test and now his driver’s permit has expired. Is he going to have to retake the written test to renew it?
A: It depends how long ago his permit expired. If he renews within 90 days after the expiration date he won’t have to retake the general knowledge test, commonly known as the written test, according to the city’s website. To be clear, that grace period does not apply to driving, which isn’t legal with an expired permit. Also, he’ll have to wait again to take the road test.
“For minors, if you renew your permit 31 through 90 days after the permit expiration date, your road test eligibility date will be 180 days from the date of issuance of your renewed permit,” the city says.
E Kala Mai
To the driver of the silver-gray van or SUV I nearly hit on Dec. 18 near the intersection of Nimitz Highway and Ahua Streets, I am so very sorry for nearly causing an accident. Despite checking over my shoulder to see if the lane was clear, I didn’t see you and attempted to merge into your lane. Mahalo for honking at me to prevent an accident. I hope the rest of your commute was uneventful. — Remorseful driver
Mahalo
Mahalo to the gentleman giving little homemade lauhala reindeer to post office visitors on Christmas Eve day. They brought a smile and warm feeling and will be kept always. — Grateful senior
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
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