It is imperative for Hawaii’s policymakers to continually explore meaningful ways to make government at every level more open, transparent, deliberative and responsive.
The Hawaii Community Correctional Center is situated in the heart of downtown Hilo and is designed to hold 206 inmates, but is currently over capacity at 295 inmates, making it the most overcrowded jail in the state.
The confirmation hearing for Tommy Johnson, tapped to head the Hawaii Department of Public Safety (PSD), has exposed deeper problems with staffing, including the astonishing fact that the “average” adult correctional officer (ACO) works only seven months out of a year in terms of days on the job.