Hawaii Will Soon Have A Women’s Court In An Effort To Reduce Recidivism 0 Advocates hope the three-year pilot program will prevent more women from being incarcerated and re-entering the criminal justice system
Earlier this month, Gov. David Ige signed off on House Bill 2421, creating a three-year pilot program for the state’s first Women’s Court.
The bill was backed by the Women’s Prison Project, a 31-member coalition who worked closely with the Hawaii Women’s Legislative Caucus on several bills to help incarcerated women.
This bill appropriates almost $700,000 out of the state general fund to address women’s distinct needs by implementing gender-responsive programming, with the goal of reducing recidivism and diverting participants from incarceration.
