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Maui's Only Jail Severely Overcrowded

jai Mansson / Flickr
jai Mansson / Flickr

Maui Community Correctional Center has gotten so crowded that some inmates are now sleeping on the floor. Eileen Chao has more from The Maui News.

Public safety officials say Maui's only jail is built to hold 301 inmates. But nearly 500 inmates are currently housed at the facility, which was constructed in 1978.

Double-bunk cells designed to hold two people are now used to house three or four.  That means at least one or two inmates are sleeping on the floor of every cell.  Those familiar with the facility say that it's not uncommon for an inmate to sleep with his head underneath a toilet because there is nowhere else to put a mattress.  

Toni Schwartz, spokeswoman for the state Department of Public Safety, says, “It's no secret that all of our jails are grossly overcrowded and have been overcrowded for several years.”

Oahu Community Correctional Center, for example, houses more than 1,200 inmates.  That's more than double the 600 people it was designed to hold. 

Legislators say they recognize the need for a new jail on Maui, and approved $1.5 million last year for the design of a new Maui jail in Puunene.  But early estimates suggest the new facility could cost well over $60 million.    

Hawaii has four prisons and four jails, which house about 4,100 inmates.  The facilities, combined, were designed to hold only about 2,500 people.

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