Hawaii Gov. David Ige to release funding for correctional oversight

Apr. 17—Gov. David Ige says he will release funding for a commission tasked with overseeing Hawaii's jails and prisons, so long as the Legislature appropriates the money.

The five-member Hawaii Correctional Systems Oversight Commission was formed two years ago after the Legislature passed a measure aimed at bringing major reforms to the state's correctional system. But the volunteer commission has been hamstrung in fulfilling its purpose because it hasn't had any funding to hire a full-time, salaried administrator and support staff.

Ige declined last year to release $330, 000 in funding to hire personnel, and this year chose not to put the funding in his budget. He told the Honolulu Star-­Advertiser earlier this year that it was difficult to start up a new program in the midst of a pandemic.

But the Legislature is now poised to appropriate funding for the commission for the upcoming fiscal year, and on Friday a spokeswoman for the governor said Ige would release the money and commit to filling staff positions.

The Senate inserted $330, 000 into the state this month for the commission to hire staff. The House of Representatives also passed, which provides another mechanism for funding the commission. Both measures are slated to go to conference committee this month where both chambers negotiate the final details of legislation.

The creation of the oversight commission came out of 2018 from a legislative task force that met for two years and was chaired by Hawaii Supreme Court Associate Justice Michael Wilson.

The task force found that a strong, independent commission was needed to "immediately address prison suicides, sexual assaults, and other unacceptable and unlawful conditions in our prison system." Task force members hoped that robust oversight also would bring transparency to a system known for its secrecy.

The oversight commission is led by Mark Patterson, administrator of the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility in Kailua.

Other commission members include retired Judges Ronald Ibarra and Michael Town, and Ted Sakai and Martha Torney, who held leadership roles within the Department of Public Safety, which manages the state's correctional system.

The lack of funding has frustrated members of the commission, who have met monthly for more than a year but have said it's to move beyond the discussion phase without having staff.

While the commission was set up to guide overall policy, staff is needed to do the day-to-day work. The office is expected to conduct an ongoing review of the correctional system, and the administrator was given the power to enter and inspect correctional facilities without notice and full access to records within the Department of Public Safety.

The commission's ultimate goal is to usher in major reforms to the state's correctional system, helping it transition from a punitive to rehabilitative model.