Tough choices on Hawaii’s prisons and jails lie ahead, official says
It has been nearly 40 years since a new prison or jail opened in Hawaii, and the leader of the state’s deteriorating network of correctional facilities says the state must finally make the hard decisions about replacing its rundown old lockups.
Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Director Tommy Johnson says he plans to ask for nearly $125 million in each of the next two fiscal years, mostly for maintenance projects such as replacing a collapsing fence at the Maui jail and installing a new emergency generator at Halawa prison.
