THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	115
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2021
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING the university of hawaii to undertake a broadly based economic and sociological study to identify factors that contribute to crime in the STate.

 

 

 

        WHEREAS, crime and incarceration rates reveal the disparate impacts that criminal activity has on various communities in the State; and

 

        WHEREAS, both crime and incarceration rates are unevenly distributed among population groups when viewed relative to those groups' percentage composition of the State's population; and

 

        WHEREAS, certain racial and ethnic groups may be stigmatized by their disproportionate representation in relation to arrests for criminal acts; and

 

        WHEREAS, various public programs and private initiatives that address crime prevention, recidivism, and rehabilitation could benefit from an in-depth examination of the underlying socio-economic factors that contribute to criminal and anti-social behavior in the State; and

 

        WHEREAS, a Hawaii-specific study should include an examination of factors that potentially contribute to crime, including low levels of educational attainment, social and cultural barriers to success, economic stress, and the lack of targeted government programs to alleviate these conditions; now, therefore,

 

        BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2021, the House of Representatives concurring, that the University of Hawaii is requested to undertake a broadly based economic and sociological study to identify factors that contribute to crime in the State; and

 

        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the study identify ways in which the factors that contribute to crime in the State may be addressed by policymakers at varying levels of government; and

 

        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the University of Hawaii is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2022; and

 

        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the President of the University of Hawaii System and Chair of the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii System.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Crime in Hawaii; Underlying Socio-economic Factors; University of Hawaii; Study