RELATING TO OFFENDER REENTRY.

HB2044

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

2044

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING
TO OFFENDER REENTRY
.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

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SECTION 1.
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The legislature finds that House Concurrent
Resolution No. 85, H.D. 2, S.D. 1 (2016), requested the convening of a task
force to make recommendations to the legislature on ways to improve Hawaii's
correctional system.
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The final report of
the House Concurrent Resolution 85 Task Force on Prison Reform was submitted to
the legislature in December 2018.
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According to the 2018 report, "the State's correctional system is
not producing acceptable, cost-effective, or sustainable outcomes and needs
immediate and profound change."
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Prison populations have risen noticeably since the 1980s, with Hawaii
experiencing an eight hundred and seventy per cent increase in prison
populations between 1980 and 2018.
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This
increase has had a disproportionate impact on native Hawaiians, with the task
force finding that native Hawaiians make up forty per cent of the prison
population but only twenty per cent of the overall population in the
State.
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Additionally, prisons are failing
to correct unwanted behavior, leading to higher rates of recidivism.

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The legislature further finds that
the 2019 Recidivism Update to the 2002 Hawaii Recidivism Baseline Study shows
that nearly fifty-four per cent of criminals in Hawaii are repeat
offenders.
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The State correctional system's
high rate of recidivism, and the corresponding overall increase in prison
populations since the 1980s, produces a serious financial burden on local
communities.
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A 2020 study evaluating the
corrections system in Hawaii estimates that it costs the State approximately
$72,000 to incarcerate an inmate for one year.
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By lowering recidivism rates, the State could save significant amounts
of money that it could invest in other programs, such as education,
infrastructure, or social services.

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The legislature further finds that
offering extensive and high-quality educational and vocational programs to
inmates is effective in reducing rates of recidivism and the overall cost of
the correctional system.

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The legislature further finds that
inmate participation in mentorship reentry programs translates to higher rates
of employment and lower rates of recidivism.
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According to a Public/Private Ventures study, inmates who participated
in mentorship programs were more than twice as likely to find a job after
release than inmates who did not.
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The
same study found that one year after release, participants who were mentored
were thirty-five per cent less likely to recidivate than inmates who were not
mentored.

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The purpose of this Act is to:

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(1)
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Encourage inmates
to participate in correctional educational programs and vocational training;

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(2)
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Increase the
quality and quantity of correctional mentorship, counseling, educational, and
vocational training programs available to interested inmates;

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(3)
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Allow inmates to
earn an income and engage in supervised apprenticeship training to obtain
licensure and increase marketability and workforce readiness upon the
completion of their sentencing; and

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(4)
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Appropriate funds
to expand model programs to include more quality educational and vocational
programs.

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SECTION
2
.
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Section 353H-4,
Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

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"
[
[
]�353H-4[
]
]
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Model programs; department of corrections and rehabilitation.
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Subject to funding by the legislature, the department
of corrections and rehabilitation shall enhance the State's comprehensive
offender reentry system by developing model programs designed to reduce
recidivism and promote successful reentry into the community.
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Components of the model programs shall include
but are not limited to:

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(1)
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Highly skilled staff who are experienced in
working with offender reentry programs;

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(2)
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Individualized case management and a full
continuum of care to ensure successful reentry;

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(3)
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Life skills development workshops, including
budgeting, money management, nutrition, and exercise; development of
self-determination through education; employment training; special education
for the learning disabled; social, cognitive, communication, and life skills
training; and appropriate treatment programs, including substance abuse and
mental health treatment;

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(4)
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Parenting and relationship building
classes.
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The department shall institute
policies that support family cohesion and family participation in offenders'
transition to the community, and, where possible, provide geographical
proximity of offenders to their children and families; [
and
]

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(5)
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Ongoing attention to building support for
offenders from communities, community agencies, and organizations[
.
]
;

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(6)
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Programs
that encourage inmates without a high school diploma or equivalency certificate
to obtain a high school equivalency certificate while incarcerated by matching
inmates with an advisor, mentor, or guidance counselor to support the inmates'
understanding of incarceration's impact on family, emotions, and society;

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(7)
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Programs that
encourage eligible inmates to attend community college or university by
teaching inmates the benefits of a college education;

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(8)
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Programs that
shift the focus of career training programs to relevant and useful
opportunities, highlight job prospects and benefits that inmates can obtain
after completion of specific career training programs, and teach inmates about
the benefits of stable employment beyond incarceration and its benefits on
themselves, family, and society;

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(9)
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Programs that
work with non-profit organizations and the business community to secure job
positions for inmates that have completed necessary career training programs
and have the required qualifications;

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(10)
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Programs that
compel inmates convicted of a felony to undergo emotional, academic, and
behavioral mentoring or counseling by recommending that inmates be granted
parole or early release upon completion of the program; and

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(11)
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Earn and learn
programs that expand existing career training opportunities and work furlough
programs.
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For purposes of this section:

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"Earn and learn programs"
means programs that allow eligible inmates to participate in supervised
apprenticeships to work toward licensure while getting paid.
"

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SECTION 3.
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There is appropriated out of the general
revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $
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or so much thereof as may be necessary
for fiscal year 2026-2027 for the department of corrections and rehabilitation
to
expand existing model
programs to provide more educational and vocational training opportunities for
interested inmates.

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The sum appropriated shall be
expended by the department of corrections and rehabilitation for the purposes
of this Act.

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SECTION 4.
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Statutory material to be repealed is
bracketed and stricken.
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New statutory
material is underscored.

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SECTION 5.
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This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2026.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Recidivism;
Offender Re-entry Programs; Appropriation

Description:

Expands
programming and training for the comprehensive offender reentry program under
the department of corrections and rehabilitation to reduce the rate of
recidivism and increase inmate marketability.
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Appropriates funds.

The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.