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Your May 2 editorial supports an empty home tax that could raise $300 million over 10 years for urgent city needs (“Empty-homes tax worth the effort,” Star-Advertiser, Our View). But on April 25, you called for funding a new Oahu Community Correctional Center, a project that’s likely to cost over a billion dollars (“Lock in funds for OCCC relocation,” Star-Advertiser, Our View).
The state already spends approximately $300 million annually to run jails and prisons, yet incarceration hasn’t improved our crime issues. Expanding prison space ignores what reduces crime: stable housing, mental health care and community support.
Instead of spending $30 million to start planning a bigger jail, Gov. Josh Green should veto this wasteful allocation. That money should go toward proven public health approaches that enhance safety and well-being, not more jail beds.
Lynne Dubiel
Diamond Head
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