THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	84
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting the Hawaii correctional system oversight commission to establish an advisory committee to DEVELOP RECOMMENDATIONS on the implementation of alternative models for rehabilitation and restorative justice on o ahu.

 

 

     WHEREAS, the Hawaii Correctional System Oversight Commission has consistently advocated for a rehabilitative model for a new jail to replace the Oahu Community Correctional Center (OCCC); and

 

     WHEREAS, in 2016, the Department of Public Safety released the OCCC siting study, which identified eleven potential sites for a new facility; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 2017, the Governor announced that the Animal Quarantine Station site located in the ahupua a of H lawa on O ahu was the preferred site for the new OCCC; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 2022, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR) contracted with the University of Hawaii Community Design Center (UHCDC) to develop a proof of concept study, titled Breaking Cycles:  Alternative Models for Rehabilitative and Restorative Justice On O ahu (Breaking Cycles Study); and

 

     WHEREAS, from 2022 to 2024, the Breaking Cycles Study developed a comprehensive scholarly literature review built on a wide range of relevant efforts predating the project, including those by the H.C.R. No. 85, H.D. 2, S.D. 1 (2016) Task Force, Office of Hawaiian Affairs Native Hawaiian Justice Task Force, Correctional Reform Working Group, and the Sequential Intercept Model mapping efforts by the P    Foundation and the Hawai i Health and Harm Reduction Center, among many other resources that have advocated for justice and carceral system reform in Hawai i; and

 

     WHEREAS, the two hundred sixty-eight-page Breaking Cycles Study further conducted interviews of family members of incarcerated individuals and case studies on decarceration and emerging prevention, diversion, and reentry models and health well-being and trauma-informed design, resulting in research that was informed by and shared with multi stakeholders during the engagement process; and

 

     WHEREAS, UHCDC hosted over one hundred twenty talk stories, eighteen site visits and listening workshops, eight co-design workshops, three exhibits, three knowledge-sharing symposiums, and five community practice meetings, which sought the participation of those with lived experience; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Breaking Cycles Study proposed a design framework and accompanying principles, which included the following recommendations to:

 

     (1)  Adopt a holistic, health-centered, and trauma-informed approach;

 

     (2)  Nurture relationships to self, family, community, land, and the spiritual world;

 

     (3)  Connect to   ina and provide spaces to interact with the land;

 

     (4)  Honor diverse cultures and identities;

 

     (5)  Ensure both physical and emotional safety;

 

     (6)  Take a strengths-based approach that focuses on assets;

 

     (7)  Create opportunities for improvement and empowerment;

 

     (8)  Support learning through educational programs and spaces; and

 

     (9)  Demonstrate respect for each individual through comfortable and dignified environments; and

 

     WHEREAS, the upper valley of the ahupua a of H lawa is a unique and ideal site for a modern rehabilitative facility that takes advantage of the valley's natural surroundings, history, and cultural background to incorporate programming rooted in Native Hawaiian culture; and

 

     WHEREAS, participants in the Breaking Cycles Study, including those located in the  Aiea-H lawa area, expressed strong support for a holistic facility rooted in Native Hawaiian culture; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs; Papa Ola L kahi; ALU LIKE, Inc.; and many other Native Hawaiian organizations have demonstrated that an   ina and cultural-based approach to rehabilitation can be successful in lowering recidivism; and

 

     WHEREAS, the H lawa ahupua a is a rich repository of traditional cultural practices and sites, known for hundred of years for its wai, lo i kalo, loko i a, l  au lapa au, ancient heiau and ritual sites, house sites, cave burials, and pu uhonua; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Hawaii Correctional Oversight Commission's March 2025 report, titled Hoe Amau:  The Current State of Reentry in Hawaii, identified a variety of areas in which DCR has not complied with rehabilitation and reentry requirements; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2026, that the Hawaii Correctional System Oversight Commission is requested to establish an advisory committee to develop recommendations on the implementation of alternative models for rehabilitation and restorative justice on O ahu; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the advisory committee is requested to include the following:

 

     (1)  The Chairperson of the Hawaii Correctional System Oversight Commission or the Chair's designee, who is requested to serve as chairperson;

 

     (2)  The Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, or the Chairperson's designee;

 

     (3)  One member representing the Correctional Reform Working Group, to be invited by the chairperson;

 

     (4)  The Chief Executive Officer of Papa Ola L kahi, or the Chief Executive Officer's designee;

 

     (5)  The Chief Executive Officer of ALU Like, Inc., or the Chief Executive Officer's designee;

 

     (6)  The President of Ke One O k kuhihewa, the O ahu Council of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, or the President's designee;

 

     (7)  The President of the Lili uokalani Trust, or the President's designee;

 

     (8)  One member representing an  Aiea-H lawa community organization, to be invited by the chairperson; and

 

     (9)  One mental health specialist representing the Queen's Health System Native Hawaiian Health Department, to be invited by the chairperson; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the advisory committee is requested to develop recommendations that incorporate the findings of the Breaking Cycles Study in the design and planning of the new Oahu Community Correctional Center; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, to develop its recommendations, the advisory committee is requested to consult with Native Hawaiian practitioners in:

 

     (1)  Ho oponopono;

 

     (2)  L  au lapa au;

 

     (3)  Lo i kalo stewardship;

 

     (4)  Loko i a stewardship;

 

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