Gov. Josh Green’s new budget requests $30 million to plan the new jail to replace the dilapidated Oʻahu Community Correctional Center.
The Department of Corrections began working on plans for the new jail over seven years ago. It is expected to cost about $1 billion and would expand the facility’s capacity by 350 beds.
But the Hawaiʻi Correctional System Oversight Commission says that vision is outdated. The commission is working on an open letter criticizing the department's plan.
Commission Chair Mark Patterson explained that a broader solution needs to focus on rehabilitation and diversion.
"This is where we are right now with the current planning. These are all the issues that have not been addressed in your planning process, and whether or not, do we really want to continue to put money into it as they refuse to speak about the biggest issues that we see as a community and as a commission?" he asked.
"Because you're just looking at a structure. You're not telling us about the system. And it really, really, really irritates me when they started throwing all the rhetoric on this new facility using rehabilitation and healing when they're not even doing it now."
The Department of Corrections was not present at the commission's December meeting, which upset many of the commissioners and testifiers.
Lawmakers will take up the governor’s budget request for the new jail when the legislative session begins in January.
