STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1657

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  S.C.R. No. 134
                                        




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Judiciary and Ways and Means, to which
was referred S.C.R. No. 134 entitled:

     "SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING A JOINT OVERSIGHT
     COMMITTEE ON PRISON OPERATIONS AND SAFETY,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this concurrent resolution is to establish an
oversight committee on prison operations and safety.

     Your Committees find that the Department of Public Safety
has been continuously plagued by severe management problems that
have resulted in numerous allegations of abuse and neglect of
inmates within our state correctional system.  Your Committees
note that the Acting Director of the Department has submitted to
the Judiciary Committee an action plan with specific timetables
to address your Committee's concerns.  Your Committees believe
that this course of action is an aggressive and responsible means
of correcting the problems within the state correctional system,
and that the Department of Public Safety should be held
accountable for the goals that have been set.  Therefore, your
Committees find that in order to ensure that the Department is
working diligently to fulfill these objections, an oversight
committee should be established to provide the needed oversight
and support.

     Testimony in support of this concurrent resolution was
submitted by the Department of Public Safety.


 
a                                                     
                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1657
                                   Page 2


     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committees on Judiciary and Ways and Means that is attached to
this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose
of S.C.R. No. 134, and recommend its adoption.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committees on Judiciary and
                                   Ways and Means,




____________________________       ______________________________
CAROL FUKUNAGA, Co-Chair           AVERY B. CHUMBLEY, Co-Chair


____________________________       ______________________________
ANDREW LEVIN, Co-Chair             MATTHEW M. MATSUNAGA, Co-Chair


 
a