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The Reimagining Public Safety in Hawaiʻi Coalition recently delivered a petition to Gov. Josh Green — signed by nearly 1,000 people — asking him to pause further spending for the planning of a new $1 billion super jail on Oʻahu that would likely be financed, designed, built and maintained by a private prison corporation.

While we agree that the conditions at the Oʻahu Community Correctional Center are unacceptable and must be addressed, there are more sensible options that would better serve Hawaiʻi taxpayers and the many residents needlessly caught up in the carceral system.

Most people sitting in our jails are suffering from mental illness, substance addiction and homelessness, and are pre-trial — still legally innocent but unable to afford bail.

According to Tommy Johnson, director of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, 87% of people held at OCCC could be on supervised release in a community setting.

The answer to overcrowding is diversion and bail reform.

Instead of spending $1 billion on a new jail, the petition urged the governor to make a similarly large investment in community-based mental health and substance abuse treatment, supportive housing, workforce training and youth development.

This investment would significantly reduce the jail population, and the state could then explore renovating or building a much smaller and less expensive facility at the current site.

One thing is clear, the state cannot afford both a $1 billion jail and to make the scale of investment needed into diversion infrastructure.

Disappointingly, Governor Green dismissed the petition and concerns raised by public safety experts and everyday residents, insisting that DCR needs another $30 million to continue planning the new jail.

What’s The Plan? Who’s In Charge?

But in his dismissal of the petition, the governor’s statements revealed several new and concerning insights into how the state is both rationalizing and proceeding with the proposed new jail.

This includes the governor claiming — in direct contradiction to DCR’s long-running plans – that “whatever facility we do build is going to be smaller” than the current OCCC.

Simultaneously, he then declared plans to purchase the Honolulu Federal Detention Center, claiming it’s cheaper than new jail construction. This is despite the Trump administration’s well-known efforts to expand immigrant detention and need for the facility.

So what’s the state’s actual plan, and who is the ultimate decision maker? Are we expanding the jail as proposed by DCR, or downsizing as proposed by the governor? Building a new jail or buying a detention center — an idea previously rejected by lawmakers?

The math doesn’t add up. That’s why the Reimagining Public Safety in Hawai’i Coalition supported a resolution this session to audit DCR’s years-long spending spree on jail planning. Unfortunately, now former House Finance Committee Chair Kyle Yamashita refused to give it a hearing.

It’s unclear what the outcomes were for the $25 million already allocated for jail planning, and there needs to be accountability before another $30 million in taxpayer dollars is doled out (bringing the total to $55 million just for jail planning).

Ultimately, while the governor’s unilateral declarations raised eyebrows, it is a blip in a decade-long planning process that has exclusively yielded proposals for a larger jail. If the state moves forward with DCR’s proposed super jail, this would be the most expensive state-funded public works project in Hawaiʻi’s history.

Divert To Where?

In dismissing the petition, the governor also insisted that calls for new investments in community based treatment and supportive housing are moot since he’s already on top of it.

Hawaiʻi’s jail population tells a different story. According to data from the Hawaiʻi Correctional System Oversight Commission and Department of Corrections Intake Center:

• 86% of incarcerated residents need substance use treatment
• 30% to 40% are homeless
• 49% need mental health care

While the governor and Legislature have allocated new funding for supportive housing and rehabilitation programs, including $37 million for kauhale (tiny homes for homeless people) and $4 million for reentry this session, the amounts pale in comparison to carceral system spending, and fall far short of meeting the actual need.

“Divert to where?” is a common question posed by judges and law enforcement. Much larger investments — upwards of $1 billion — are required as Hawaiʻi still has a severe shortage of places to divert or keep people out of jail in the first place.

Yet, the governor is further attempting to justify spending that same amount on a new jail by claiming it is needed to handle violent criminals. But as DCR Director Johnson stated, 87% of people held at OCCC could be on supervised release, meaning only a small fraction of people in jail are there for violent crimes and pose a risk to public safety.

The Dangers Of Private Prison Corporations

And let us not forget the profit motive. Currently, the governor is supporting DCR’s push for a public-private-partnership to finance, design, construct and maintain the jail.

This is a recipe for less transparency and accountability, and allows the private prison industrial complex to set foot in Hawaiʻi. Private prison corporations have faced criticism and controversy regarding substandard construction and maintenance of correctional facilities, prioritizing profits over safety.

This includes CoreCivic, which has been actively lobbying the Hawaiʻi Legislature and is a candidate to win the contract. Of note, the governor’s budget and finance director recently worked as a lobbyist for CoreCivic and is involved with planning for the proposed super jail. This raises concerns about conflicts of interest and good governance.

The other elephant in the room is the astronomical costs — both known and hidden — that come with a profit driven “lease back” arrangement which will shackle the taxpayers of Hawai’i for generations. Simply put, this would be a bad deal for the people of Hawaiʻi.

What Will Be Green’s Legacy?

Future generations will judge Governor Green’s legacy. Will the governor choose to mortgage our future on a super jail that will fiscally hamper the state and result in more residents, disparately Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, being warehoused and separated from their families?

Or will he choose to instead invest $1 billion into systems of community care that will eliminate the need for more jail beds, while truly fostering public safety and making Hawaiʻi a model for the nation?