HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

46

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

Requesting a management and financial audit of the department of public safety.

 

 

WHEREAS, Hawaii's prison system is aging, in need of substantial repair, poorly maintained, and ill equipped to handle any significant increase in the prison population; and

WHEREAS, moreover, our correctional facilities are seriously overcrowded; the prison population has nearly doubled in the 1990s, due in large part to major changes in the economy, public safety policy, law enforcement, and sentencing laws and practices, especially mandatory prison sentences for some drug offenders; and

WHEREAS, the current prison population of 5,650 inmates far exceeds the rated capacity of 3,369, and has resulted in over 1,000 additional inmates being flown to serve their sentences in mainland prisons that are under contract with the State; and

WHEREAS, the overcrowded situation and deteriorated condition of Hawaii's prisons have led to federal court intervention in the past; and

WHEREAS, a recent study commissioned by the Department of Public Safety (DPS) and conducted by Carter Goble Associates concluded that Hawaii's prison system is dangerously overcrowded, has been poorly maintained over the years, and is in no shape to accommodate a projected increase in prisoners; and

WHEREAS, the study called for:

(1) Replacing community correctional centers in each of the four counties;

(2) Adding a new correctional center on the Kona side of the Big Island;

(3) Building new medium and minimum security prisons; and

(4) Building secure substance abuse treatment facilities,

to assist with current problems facing Hawaii's prisons; and

WHEREAS, over the years, concerns have been raised regarding the operational and fiscal accountability of DPS, the department responsible for the operation and maintenance of Hawaii's prisons; and

WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that, in the interest of the health and safety of the public, a fiscal and management audit of DPS is warranted; and

WHEREAS, among other things, a DPS audit would help to:

(1) Verify and address any concerns and complaints raised about Hawaii's prison system;

(2) Pinpoint any areas of improvement and weakness within DPS that need to be addressed;

(3) Provide a baseline assessment of any efforts and actions currently being taken by DPS to address concerns and remedy any problems;

(4) Report pending employee personnel actions resulting from inmate escapes, examine circumstances for future prevention of inmate escapes for public safety, and ensure fair and equitable treatment of employees; and

(5) Recommend possible solutions to any concerns and problems existing at any DPS facility or within the DPS;

and

WHEREAS, a DPS audit would further serve to improve the services and care at Hawaii's prison facilities as well as maximize staff efficiency and the prudent use of resources by DPS; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2004, the Senate concurring, that the Office of the Auditor is requested to perform a management and financial audit of the Department of Public Safety; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Office of the Auditor address these and other related issues and report its findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2005; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, State Auditor, and the Director of Public Safety.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Request that the office of the Auditor conduct a management and financial audit of the Department of Public Safety.