HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

73

THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023

H.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

URGING THE OFFICE OF YOUTH SERVICES AND FAMILY COURT OF THE FIRST JUDICIAL CIRCUIT TO COLLABORATE IN IDENTIFYING PROCESSES, PROCEDURES, AND STRATEGIES FOR PARTNERING WITH COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO MAXIMIZE REHABILITATION AND MINIMIZE RECIDIVISM FOR JUVENILE OFFENDERS.

 

 

 


     WHEREAS, children of Micronesian or Native Hawaiian ancestry and other Pacific Island youth are overrepresented in the State's juvenile justice system; and

 

     WHEREAS, for Fiscal Year 2022, such youth accounted for forty-eight percent of all youth who were arrested; forty-nine percent of all youth who were referred to family court; fifty percent of all petitions filed in family court; and sixty-three percent of all youth who were placed in a detention facility in the State; and

 

     WHEREAS, intergenerational trauma, cultural disconnection, homelessness, and other factors can drive and contribute to a high disparity in such juvenile offenders; and

 

     WHEREAS, studies have shown that youth who are connected to their culture and community are more successful and less likely to become involved in the juvenile justice system; and

 

     WHEREAS, partnerships with community organizations may be an appropriate practice for the family court to be more culturally responsive to maximize rehabilitation and reduce recidivism; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, that the Office of Youth Services and Family Court of the First Judicial Circuit are urged to collaborate in identifying processes, procedures, and strategies for partnering with community organizations to maximize rehabilitation and minimize recidivism for juvenile offenders; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Office of Youth Services and Family Court of the First Judicial Circuit are urged to consider best practices and lessons from other nations and United States jurisdictions that have successful programs; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Office of Youth Services and Family Court of the First Judicial Circuit are requested to jointly submit a report of their findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2024; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Human Services, Executive Director of the Office of Youth Services, Chief Justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court, and Senior Family Court Judge of the First Judicial Circuit of the Judiciary.

 

 

 

Report Title: 

Judiciary; Office of Youth Services; Rehabilitation; Recidivism