STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1082

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.C.R. No. 67

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 67 entitled:

 

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ENCOURAGING THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY TO SERIOUSLY CONSIDER THE ESTABLISHMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A STAND-ALONE REENTRY CENTER IN HONOLULU FOR RECOVERING CRIMINAL OFFENDERS, WHICH IS TO INCLUDE RESIDENTIAL AND DAY-REPORTING PROGRAM OPTIONS,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to encourage the Department of Public Safety to seriously consider the establishment and implementation of a stand-alone reentry center in Honolulu for recovering criminal offenders, which is to include residential and day-reporting program options.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Public Safety, Community Alliance on Prisons, Ohana Hoopakele, and one individual.

 

     Your Committee finds that inmates who are released with the support of reentry centers are more likely to be gainfully employed and less likely to recidivate as compared to inmates who are released directly into the community.  Your Committee further finds that community-directed housing facilities are significantly more cost-effective than hard bed incarceration.  This measure promotes the goal of the Justice Reinvestment Initiative of returning inmates from the mainland by creating additional community placement for inmates transitioning back into the community.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Offering reentry center placement as an option for low-risk offenders, rather than individuals serving non-violent, non-sexual sentences;

 

     (2)  Amending the title for consistency; and

 

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 67, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 67, S.D. 1.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs,

 

 

 

____________________________

WILL ESPERO, Chair