For the third year in a row, the Hawaiʻi Youth Correctional Facility’s kitchen is understaffed, so it is turning to plate lunches for emergency meals.

The study says the lack of effective reentry programs is one reason so many inmates get in trouble again soon after release.

More than seven years after Hawaiʻi passed a law meant to address the problem, the number of people leaving prison and jail without key documents has barely budged.

The college launched a Hawaiian studies program at Halawa Correctional Facility in 2022, but found many students dropped out because they were sent to an Arizona prison.

The death of OCCC inmate Eric Scotton is apparently the third homicide in the Hawaiʻi correctional system in less than a year.

Gilchrist Fernandez faces up to three months imprisonment for having nearly 95 pounds of aerial fireworks mailed to the facility he was guarding.

Staff vacancies require corrections officers to work 16- or 24-hour shifts, and the mandatory overtime takes a toll.

An inmate seized keys and released other prisoners, who then attacked another inmate, officials said.

Ultimately it could be a $1 billion project. Meanwhile, some are advocating for greater emphasis on keeping people out of prison.

Prison officials hope the exercise room will boost inmates’ sense of well-being, telling them it’s “a step towards reclaiming your own strength.”