HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

131

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY TO IMPLEMENT A PILOT PROJECT ON HAWAIIAN DRY STACK MASONRY FOR INMATES AT THE KULANI PRISON ON THE ISLAND OF HAWAII.

 

 

WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that due to the dramatic increase in substance abuse cases and the resulting increase in the number of detained and incarcerated individuals with drug abuse problems, alternatives to dealing with the drug-abusing offender must be implemented; and

WHEREAS, the Legislature further finds that rehabilitation programs that prepare incarcerated persons for life in the "real world" are critical to the future well-being of the community; and

WHEREAS, people who are currently incarcerated at low and medium security institutions, especially those of Native Hawaiian ancestry, have cultural and employment needs that are at a crisis level; and

WHEREAS, members of the community are willing to train inmates to learn about the Native Hawaiian heritage and to develop skills in traditional Hawaiian dry stack masonry in order to undertake cultural preservation projects; and

WHEREAS, there is a need for a skilled workforce to restore and preserve ancient Hawaiian cultural sites; and

WHEREAS, there is a problem finding skilled workers for traditional masonry projects; and

WHEREAS, training in Hawaiian dry stack masonry while incarcerated can be credited towards the number of hours needed for a mason's license when the inmates are released; and

WHEREAS, education about the Native Hawaiian heritage and culture in conjunction with training for the skill of Hawaiian dry stack masonry can produce workers who are highly trained as well as highly motivated; and

WHEREAS, educating the inmates about the Native Hawaiian heritage and culture as well as the skill of Hawaiian dry stack masonry will give the inmates the idea that the work they do while incarcerated will be of importance once they are released from prison and will make them proud of what they will accomplish for a greater sense of community, place and purpose for decades to come; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2004, that the Department of Public Safety is requested to implement a pilot project combining education in the Native Hawaiian heritage and culture and training in the art of Hawaiian dry stack masonry, with the inmates at the Kulani Prison on the Island of Hawaii; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the department is requested to report its findings and recommendations to the Legislature twenty days before the start of the Regular Session of 2006; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the department is requested to provide an interim report to the Legislature twenty days before the start of the Regular Session of 2005; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Public Safety, the Speaker of the House, and the President of the Senate.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Hawaiian Stone Masonry; Pilot Project