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Committee amends detention rules to allow temporary juvenile holding in certified adult lockups with sight‑and‑sound separation
Summary
The committee approved amendments to Senate Bill 694 to clarify how juveniles may be temporarily held in adult lockups where there is no juvenile detention facility, and tasked the Office of Youth Services with certification and oversight of such holding areas.
The House Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs amended and advanced Senate Bill 694 (HD1) to clarify when minors may be temporarily detained in county adult jails or lockups and to require certification and monitoring by the Office of Youth Services (OYS).
Under the committee’s revised language, a minor may be temporarily held “for processing or while in transit to court” in an adult jail or lockup in counties that lack a juvenile detention facility only if two conditions are met: (1) the minor is separated from adult inmates by sight and sound at the time of custody, and (2) the minor is held no longer than necessary to transport them to court or the nearest juvenile detention facility.
The amended bill directs the Department of Human Services, through OYS, to certify police station cell blocks and community correctional centers that provide the required sight‑and‑sound separation. Certified facilities must allow inspections, submit data on compliance and may have certifications withdrawn if standards are not met. The Office of Youth Services may also monitor and inspect all cell blocks and centers for compliance.
The committee made conforming edits to subsection references so the language will operate as intended and included a defective effective date to preserve space for conference negotiation. The committee advanced the revised measure to the next stage with technical amendments.
Committee members said the changes aim to ensure short‑term processing needs are met on islands without juvenile detention space while protecting the welfare of minors through certification standards and oversight.
