The new state commission is supposed to bring a new vision for prisons. But it’s made up of people who have been part of the problem.

Civil Beat reporter Yoohyun Jung and photographer Cory Lum visited six state correctional facilities last week. No surprise, the facilities are overcrowded and seriously in need of repair.

OCCC has a five-year master plan, but it’s unclear when the five-year period starts or ends, and nobody wants to pay for it. 

From alternatives to incarceration to storytelling to more legal action, experts on law and justice have plenty of thoughts on improving Hawaii’s system.

A new “Smart Justice” report argues the public would be safer if people got help instead of punishment.

Mike Town, who retired in 2010, was appointed by Senate President Ron Kouchi.

Reforming Hawaii’s aging and overcrowded prisons was a notable accomplishment of the 2019 Legislature. So what’s happened?

Pretrial detainees make up a big part of the inmate population. Meanwhile, most proposed reforms appear dead in Legislature.

UPDATED: The pretrial detainees were upset about jail overcrowding, according to Public Safety Director Nolan Espinda.

A bill to establish an independent commission to oversee the state’s jails and prisons clears the House and heads to the Senate.

Despite passing the Hawaii House with unanimous support, the bill may face a rockier time in the Senate.

Supporters, including the Department of Public Safety, are backing legislation that would make Hawaii one of a handful of states that allow inmates to cast a ballot.