We need to look at the entire criminal justice ecosystem to better understand the importance of having a jail that is up to date, has space for rehabilitative programs and the technology and staffing needed for security. Foremost, a jail provides protection to the community and safety for victims of crime.

Unlike a prison, the Oahu Community Correctional Center is a temporary holding facility for those who have been arrested for a crime and awaiting a trial to determine their guilt or innocence. Others are held for parole and probation violations or awaiting reentry to the community.

In some cases, the courts allow for bail for pretrial detainees, and some individuals may post bail and return to the community to await trial. The average duration of stay in OCCC is three weeks, and in some cases up to a year.

Currently, OCCC has an average daily headcount of 925. The facility is currently designed to house only 628 and has an operational capacity of 954. This means some detainees and inmates are sleeping on mattresses on the floor because the OCCC population is approximately 152% over its current design capacity. The jail has consistently operated at this level and higher for more than a decade, placing a severe strain on the facility’s infrastructure.

The OCCC population is an older, more criminally involved and violence-prone group than those housed before the Covid-19 pandemic. They generally present a greater security risk to Hawaiʻi Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation staff and the public at large, requiring greater oversight, and enhanced supervision and security measures.

The pandemic also played a role in how the population has changed, with many individuals accused of low-level offenses no longer being booked or receiving long sentences (unless they involve violence). This has resulted in 800 fewer individuals in our jails for lower-level crimes than before the pandemic.

It has been mentioned that 40% of our jail population are homeless. That is inaccurate. The percentage is from 2020 data from the Intake Service Centers Division, reflecting those who were picked up by law enforcement who described themselves as homeless. Not everyone who was (or is) picked up was (or is) admitted to jail.

Current DCR data shows roughly 7% of OCCC inmates are homeless or do not have a permanent address, while approximately 64% had no address entered because they didn’t provide it upon intake or for unknown reasons. No one is in jail simply because they are homeless.

Reducing Recidivism

The justice ecosystem is imperfect. Some individuals cannot afford bail. Seven of 10 requests for supervised release on bail are denied by the courts. Long delays for trial can keep someone in custody continuously for up to three years before their trial begins, which wastes hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.

DCR supports efforts for reform to prevent incarceration and is dedicated to working with organizations and programs to help those individuals in custody be well prepared to reenter the community and become productive law-abiding citizens. Thus reducing recidivism.

An important part of our work at the jail is to assess the individuals in custody. They may need drug and alcohol abuse programs, educational services, they may go to the Hawaiʻi State Hospital, return to the community or go to prison. An adjacent transition center is ideally part of our broad vision for the new Oʻahu jail as is culturally appropriate programming.

The state desperately needs a new jail. We have an outdated facility with deplorable conditions that is decades beyond rehabilitation, making it difficult for our inmates to flourish. It is not fair to anyone — inmates, our staff, families who visit, or the community. The current design leads to unsafe workplace conditions because it compromises safety for our inmates and employees. This also impacts our ability to attract and retain adult corrections officers and other vitally important positions.

With a modern design, we could staff the new jail with our existing workforce because we would not need as many employees. This would significantly reduce overtime costs for DCR and assist in filling our vacancies at other Oʻahu facilities.

Everyone deserves a new start in life. A new jail is critical to the transformation of individual lives. We believe we must work together instead of being at odds with each other. It’s time to work as one team and move forward with much needed changes in our correctional system working toward better outcomes for justice involved individuals and their families.