The commission known as PACE was formed through the adoption of a Hawaii Supreme Court rule earlier this year, incidentally, a day after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Hawaii Supreme Court Ends Early Release Of Inmates - Honolulu Civil Beat
Hawaii Supreme Court Ends Early Release Of Inmates
State public defenders can still petition the courts to release clients early, but attorneys will have to do so on an individual basis. Reading time: 7 minutes.
The Hawaii Supreme Court on Friday ended a program for the early release of inmates from jail as part of an effort that began last year to control the spread of COVID-19 in state correctional facilities.
The high court said in a three-page ruling that the program is no longer needed because the state Department of Public Safety, which oversees the corrections systems, has begun a vaccination program and has also implemented COVID-19 testing and safety measures. The court also noted the drop in positive cases in the jail system.