REQUESTING THE HAWAII CORRECTIONAL SYSTEM OVERSIGHT COMMISSION TO ESTABLISH AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO DEVELOP RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ALTERNATIVE MODELS FOR REHABILITATION AND RESTORATIVE JUSTICE ON OʻAHU.

SCR89

THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

89

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

requesting the Hawaii correctional system oversight
commission to establish an advisory committee to DEVELOP RECOMMENDATIONS on the
implementation of alternative models for rehabilitation and restorative justice
on o
ʻ
ahu
.

����
WHEREAS, the
Hawaii Correctional System Oversight Commission has consistently advocated for
a rehabilitative model for a new jail to replace the Oahu Community
Correctional Center (OCCC); and

����
WHEREAS, in 2016,
the Department of Public Safety released the OCCC siting study, which
identified eleven potential sites for a new facility; and

����
WHEREAS, in
2017, the Governor announced that the Animal Quarantine Station site located in
the ahupua
ʻ
a of H
ālawa on O
ʻ
ahu was the preferred site for the
new OCCC
; and

����
WHEREAS, in
2022, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR) contracted with
the University of Hawaii Community Design Center (UHCDC) to develop a proof of
concept study, titled Breaking Cycles:
�
Alternative
Models for Rehabilitative and Restorative Justice On O
ʻ
ahu (Breaking Cycles Study); and

����
WHEREAS, from
2022 to 2024, the Breaking Cycles Study developed a comprehensive scholarly
literature review built on a wide range of relevant efforts predating the project,
including those by the H.C.R. No. 85, H.D. 2, S.D. 1 (2016) Task Force, Office
of Hawaiian Affairs Native Hawaiian Justice Task Force, Correctional Reform
Working Group, and the Sequential Intercept Model mapping efforts by the P
ū
ʻā
Foundation and the Hawai
ʻ
i Health and Harm
Reduction Center, among many other resources that have advocated for justice
and carceral system reform in Hawai
ʻ
i;
and

����
WHEREAS, the two
hundred sixty-eight-page Breaking Cycles Study further conducted interviews of
family members of incarcerated individuals and case studies on decarceration
and emerging prevention, diversion, and reentry models and health well-being
and trauma-informed design, resulting in research that was informed by and
shared with multi stakeholders during the engagement process; 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 practice meetings, which
sought the participation of those with lived experience; and

����
WHEREAS, the
Breaking Cycles Study proposed a design framework and accompanying principles,
which included the following recommendations to:

����
(1)
�
Adopt a holistic, health-centered, and
trauma-informed approach;

����
(2)
�
Nurture relationships to self, family,
community, land, and the spiritual world;

����
(3)
�
Connect to
ʻ
āina and provide spaces to
interact with the land;

����
(4)
�
Honor
diverse cultures and identities;

����
(5)
�
Ensure
both physical and emotional safety;

����
(6)
�
Take
a strengths-based approach that focuses on assets;

����
(7)
�
Create
opportunities for improvement and empowerment;

����
(8)
�
Support
learning through educational programs and spaces; and

����
(9)
�
Demonstrate
respect for each individual through comfortable and dignified environments
;
and

����
WHEREAS, the
upper valley of the ahupua
ʻ
a
of H
ālawa is a unique and
ideal site for a modern
rehabilitative facility that takes advantage of
the valley's natural surroundings, history, and cultural background to
incorporate programming rooted in Native Hawaiian culture; and

����
WHEREAS, participants
in the Breaking Cycles Study, including those located in the
ʻ
Aiea-H
ā
lawa area, expressed
strong support for a holistic facility rooted in Native Hawaiian culture; and

����
WHEREAS, the
Office of Hawaiian Affairs; Papa Ola L
ō
kahi;
ALU LIKE, Inc.; and many other Native Hawaiian organizations have demonstrated
that an
ʻ
ā
ina and cultural-based
approach to rehabilitation can be successful in lowering recidivism; and

����
WHEREAS, the
H
ālawa ahupua
ʻ
a is a rich repository of
traditional cultural practices and sites, known for hundred of years for its
wai, lo
ʻ
i kalo, loko i
ʻ
a, lā
ʻ
au lapa
ʻ
au, ancient heiau and ritual sites,
house sites, cave burials, and pu
ʻ
uhonua
; and

����
WHEREAS, the
Hawaii Correctional Oversight Commission's March 2025 report, titled Hoe Amau:
�
The Current State of Reentry in Hawaii,
identified a variety of areas in which DCR has not complied with rehabilitation
and reentry requirements; 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
Hawaii Correctional System Oversight Commission is requested to establish an
advisory committee to develop recommendations on the implementation of
alternative models for rehabilitation and restorative justice on O
ʻ
ahu; and

����
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that the advisory committee is requested to include the following:

����
(1)
�
The Chairperson of the Hawaii Correctional
System Oversight Commission or the Chair's designee, who is requested to serve
as chairperson;

����
(2)
�
The Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of
the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, or the Chairperson's designee;

����
(3)
�
One member representing the Correctional
Reform Working Group, to be invited by the chairperson;

����
(4)
�
The Chief Executive Officer of Papa Ola L
ō
kahi, or the Chief
Executive Officer's designee;

����
(5)
�
The Chief Executive Officer of ALU Like, Inc.,
or the Chief Executive Officer's designee;

����
(6)
�
The President of Ke One O k
ākuhihewa, the O
ʻ
ahu Council of the Association of

Hawaiian Civic Clubs, or the President's designee;

����
(7)
�
The President of the Lili
ʻ
uokalani Trust, or the
President's designee;

����
(8)
�
One member representing an
ʻ
Aiea-H
ā
lawa community
organization, to be invited by the chairperson; and

����
(9)
�
One mental health specialist representing the
Queen's Health System Native Hawaiian Health Department, to be invited by the
chairperson; and

����
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that the advisory committee is requested to develop recommendations
that incorporate the findings of the Breaking Cycles Study in the design and
planning of the new Oahu Community Correctional Center; and

����
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that, to develop its recommendations, the advisory committee is
requested to consult with Native Hawaiian practitioners in:

����
(1)
�
Ho
ʻ
oponopono;

����
(2)
�
L
ā
ʻ
au lapa
ʻ
au;

����
(3)
�
Lo
ʻ
i
kalo stewardship;

����
(4)
�
Loko i
ʻ
a
stewardship;

����
(5)
�
ʻ
Ā
ina-based healing;

����
(6)
�
ʻ
Ā
ina restoration;

����
(7)
�
ʻ
Ōlelo Hawai
ʻ
i;

����
(8)
�
Indigenous
planning and design; and

����
(9)
�
Native Hawaiian culture and values; and

����
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that the advisory committee 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
Chairperson of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees; Chairperson of
the Hawaii Correctional System Oversight Commission; Chairperson of the
Correctional Reform Working Group; President of Papa Ola L
ō
kahi; Chief Executive
Officer of ALU LIKE, Inc.; President of Ke One O k
ākuhihewa
; President of the Lili
ʻ
uokalani Trust; and
Director for Native Hawaiian Health at the Queen's Health System.

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:
�

Hawaii
Correctional System Oversight Commission; Advisory Committee; Native Hawaiian
Practitioners; Alternative Models; Rehabilitation; Restorative Justice; Report