REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS AND REHABILITATION TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON THE FINDINGS OF THE PROOF OF CONCEPT STUDY TITLED BREAKING CYCLES: ALTERNATIVE MODELS OF REHABILITATION AND RESTORATIVE JUSTICE ON OʻAHU.

SCR60

THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

60

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

requesting the Department of Corrections and
rehabilitation to provide an update on the findings of THE PROOF OF CONCEPT
STUDY TITLED Breaking Cycles:
�
Alternative Models of Rehabilitation and
Restorative Justice on O
ʻ
ahu
.

����
WHEREAS, the
Oahu Community Correctional Center (OCCC) does not have sufficient space for
rehabilitative programs and the conditions of confinement are no longer
appropriate; and

����
WHEREAS, the
Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR) is currently in the process
of planning and assigning a new facility to replace the existing OCCC, where individuals
would be treated humanely and given a chance to be rehabilitated; and

����
WHEREAS, development
of modern, efficient, and cost-effective institutions would help ensure that
the State's criminal justice system can meet the needs of current and future
inmate populations and provide for the continued safety and security of
inmates, staff, and the public; and

����
WHEREAS, the
benefits of modern correctional facility designs include not only increased
security, improved conditions of confinement, and safer and more efficient
operations, but also delivery of rehabilitative programs and treatment services
unavailable in the current jail and prison system; and

����
WHEREAS, the
State's goal is to transform its unified correctional system into a
rehabilitative, restorative, and reentry-focused system that reduces recidivism
and promotes safer communities; and

����
WHEREAS, DCR strives
to keep those in custody connected to their individual cultural values,
especially for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, both of whom are
disproportionately represented within the State's jail population; and

����
WHEREAS, connection
to cultural values is critical in helping inmates successfully reintegrate into
the State's communities and break the cycle of recidivism; and

����
WHEREAS, in
2022, DCR contracted with the University of Hawaii Community Design Center
(UHCDC) to engage stakeholders and community members in the development of an
alternative proof of concept vision for the relocation of OCCC, with the goal
of collectively defining a cross-jurisdictional pathway toward a continuum of
care and support both inside and outside the correctional system; and

����
WHEREAS, UHCDC
hosted over one hundred twenty talk stories, eighteen site visits and listening
workshops, eight co-design workshops, three exhibits, three knowledge-sharing
symposiums, and five community of practice meetings over a two-year period; and

����
WHEREAS, UHCDC
members also attended Aiea Neighborhood Board and Aiea Community Association
meetings, hosted listening workshops at Halawa Correctional Facility, and
participated in prison reform hui meetings; and

����
WHEREAS,
UHCDC's extensive research included connecting with various counties in
Arizona, California, and Florida to gain insight into their reform processes to
rehabilitate individuals, reduce recidivism, and provide a continuum of care
inside and outside the correctional system; and

����
WHEREAS, in
February 2025, UHCDC released an in-depth study titled Breaking Cycles:
�
Alternative Models of Rehabilitation and
Restorative Justice on O
ʻ
ahu
(Breaking Cycles Study); and

����
WHEREAS, the
Breaking Cycles Study was a proof of concept study that included key concepts
on justice system reform, along with facility planning and design elements to
consider in planning the new OCCC but did not include a completed design,
required funding, or implementation plan; now, therefore,

����
BE IT
RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii,
Regular Session of 2026, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department
of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR) is requested to provide an update on
the findings of Breaking Cycles:
�
Alternative
Models of Rehabilitation and Restorative Justice on O
ʻ
ahu (Breaking Cycles Study); and

����
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that DCR is requested to include the following in its report:

����
(1)
�
Ways in which DCR administrators and planning
and design consultants have incorporated the recommendations of the Breaking
Cycles Study into plans and designs for the new OCCC; and

����
(2)
�
Observations and findings from discussions
with incarcerated individuals, corrections staff, families, state agencies, and
community stakeholders regarding recommendations in the Breaking Cycles Study,
in collaboration with the Hawaii Correctional System Oversight Commission; and

����
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that DCR is requested to submit a report of its findings, including
any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to
the convening of the Regular Session of 2027; and

����
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the
Director of Corrections and Rehabilitation and Chairperson of the Hawaii
Correctional System Oversight Commission.

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:
�

DCR;
OCCC; UHCDC; Study; Report