THE SENATE                           S.C.R. NO.            134
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                    SENATE  CONCURRENT
                        RESOLUTION

  ESTABLISHING A JOINT OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE ON PRISON OPERATIONS
    AND SAFETY.
 


 1        WHEREAS, the Legislature was made aware of serious
 2   management and safety problems within our state correctional
 3   system prior to and during the 1999 regular session; and
 4   
 5        WHEREAS, the Senate Judiciary Committee conducted an
 6   inquiry regarding allegations of prison mismanagement and lack
 7   of inmate safety, and received testimony from many different
 8   organizations and individuals requesting the Committee to
 9   address their concerns; and
10   
11        WHEREAS, the Senate Judiciary Committee, in consultation
12   with the House Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs,
13   requested that the Acting Director of Public Safety develop a
14   plan to address the concerns expressed to the Committee; and
15   
16        WHEREAS, on March 10, 1999, the Acting Director of Public
17   Safety submitted to the Senate Judiciary Committee a vision for
18   the state correctional system and a course of action, with
19   specific timetables, to address the following areas of concern
20   arising from the Committee's inquiry:
21   
22        (1)  the Department's policy regarding the use of force;
23   
24        (2)  the implementation of an accountability system for
25             all correctional managers, staff, and employees;
26   
27        (3)  the training and retention of adult correctional
28             officers;
29   
30        (4)  the recruitment of qualified applicants for adult
31             correctional officer positions;
32   
33        (5)  the implementation of a nepotism policy;
34   
35        (6)  the dichotomy between adult correctional officers and
36             others;
37   

 
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 1        (7)  the mental health training of all correctional
 2             officers and the mental health services provided to
 3             inmates who exhibit symptoms of mental illness;
 4   
 5        (8)  the implementation of substance abuse testing of
 6             inmates and correctional employees;
 7   
 8        (9)  the implementation of a video surveillance system at
 9             Halawa Correctional Facility;
10   
11        (10) the establishment of a competent and independent
12             Internal Affairs Office; and
13   
14        (11) the implementation of a more effective information
15             management system in order to address prison
16             conditions before they present a danger to inmates
17             and correctional employees; now, therefore,
18   
19        BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twentieth Legislature
20   of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 1999, the House of
21   Representatives concurring, that the President of the Senate
22   and the Speaker of the House of Representatives establish a
23   joint oversight committee on prison operations and safety; and
24   
25        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the joint oversight committee
26   be composed of the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee,
27   the House Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs, and
28   the House Judiciary Committee, to be appointed by the President
29   of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives,
30   respectively; and
31   
32        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the joint oversight committee
33   also include members of community groups to be selected from a
34   list of candidates submitted by the members of the Senate
35   Judiciary Committee, the House Committee on Public Safety and
36   Military Affairs, and the House Judiciary Committee, and
37   appointed by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the
38   House of Representatives; and
39   
40        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the joint oversight committee
41   convene no less than twice during the 1999 interim to review
42   the progress of the Department of Public Safety in addressing
43   the report of the Senate Judiciary Committee issued during the
44   1999 legislative session; and
45   

 
 
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 1        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the joint oversight committee
 2   submit a report to the President of the Senate and the Speaker
 3   of the House of Representatives prior to the convening of the
 4   regular session of 2000; and
 5   
 6        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this
 7   Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor and the
 8   Acting Director of Public Safety. 
 9 
10 
11 
12                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________