Committee advances bill to reduce Hawaii inmates held in out‑of‑state private prisons; department warns capacity limits

The House Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs advanced House Bill 1376 (HD1), which would require the director of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DOCR) to reduce the number of Hawaii residents incarcerated in private, out‑of‑state correctional facilities and report annually to the Legislature.

Why it matters: Supporters said bringing people home improves family connections and reentry outcomes while reducing the harms associated with long‑distance incarceration in private facilities. The department said space, classification, and cost constraints make substantial near‑term transfers impracticable without new beds or major investments.

DOCR director Tommy Johnson said he shared the goal of returning inmates but cautioned the committee that "we simply don't have the room." Johnson told lawmakers that Halawa Correctional Facility is the only medium‑security male prison on Oahu and that bringing people home now would push facilities into operational overcrowding. He said building a suitable medium‑security prison would likely cost "upwards between $800 and over $900,000,000." Johnson also provided daily cost comparisons, saying housing the current Mainland population in Hawaii would cost roughly $105 million a year compared with about $36 million on the Mainland.

The Office of the Public Defender urged the committee to press forward, arguing DOCR and parole authorities have discretion and tools—such as furlough, transitional placement and reclassification—to bring people home. A public defender representative said removing people from their communities makes parole and reintegration more difficult because parole determinations rely heavily on demonstrated community supports.

Civil‑liberties and reentry groups pushed for the bill, citing incidents and oversight concerns at a CoreCivic‑operated facility (identified in testimony as Saguaro) and arguing that private, for‑profit operation and long distance from families harms rehabilitation. The ACLU of Hawaii and other advocates asked the committee to require annual benchmarks and a baseline population figure to track progress.

Committee action and next steps: The committee voted to move HB1376 (HD1) to the finance committee with a technical amendment clarifying the bill applies to facilities "operated for profit or under a public private partnership." The committee record shows the motion carried; a named member registered a no vote and another registered a reservation on record. The finance committee will consider the bill and the department’s capacity, funding needs, and implementation timeline.

Ending note: Lawmakers, advocates, and corrections officials said they share the goal of reducing out‑of‑state incarceration but differ on how fast to proceed and what investments or policy changes are required to safely return people to Hawaii.