While lawmakers in both chambers continue to look for ways to support meaningful, systemic prison reform, a guided tour of the Halawa Correctional Facility, Oahu Community Correctional Center and Laumaka Work Furlough Center on Tuesday made a compelling argument for immediate practical attention.
What You Need To Know
Members of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means and Committee on Public Safety and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs visited the facilities
The legislators took part in discussions with budget and finance director Luis Salaveria regarding options for financing a new OCCC; public safety director Tommy Johnson and comptroller Keith Regan about the future of the new Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; and planning and sustainable development director Mary Alice Evans and transit-oriented development program manager Harrison Rue about the potential use of the current OCCC for transit-oriented development
Over the last few legislative cycles, lawmakers have advanced numerous initiatives to promote alternatives to incarceration and reduce recidivism
The environmental impact statement for the new OCCC facility was formally accepted in 2018, and the Honolulu City Council approved the planning and review use permit in 2020
