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Judiciary committee backs ban on holding minors in adult jails, with logistical concerns for neighbor islands
Summary
SB 694, which would prohibit minors from being held in adult jails, lockups or prisons, passed the Senate Judiciary Committee after testimony highlighting human-rights risks and practical difficulties for Hawaii's neighbor islands.
The Senate Committee on Judiciary on Tuesday voted to pass SB 694, a bill that would prohibit holding minors in jails, lockups or prisons intended for adults.
Witnesses including a family court judge, public defenders and child-advocacy organizations told the committee the measure protects children from documented harms when they are placed in adult facilities. Judge Jessie Hall, a district family court judge, said the concern is not intent but ability to comply because of Hawaii’s island geography and limited juvenile-detention capacity outside Oahu.
“It’s the bill, unfortunately, is Oahu-centric. The neighboring islands could not comply with the way that it’s currently written,” Judge Hall said, noting flight schedules and the lack of secure juvenile facilities on other islands could prevent minors from reaching a juvenile facility within time limits in the draft amendment.
A representative for a child-rights organization cited international treaties and U.S. experience in arguing against placing youth in adult facilities, saying children in adult jails face elevated risks of physical and sexual violence and suicide. “Children who are placed in adult correctional facilities are nine times more likely to commit suicide,” the witness said, citing studies and national examples.
Public defender representatives and nonprofit advocates testified in support of the bill and the committee discussed a proposed amendment that included a six‑hour time limitation for transferring youth and sight-and-sound protections. Committee members and judiciary witnesses debated whether the low number of youth affected makes establishing island facilities practical and whether temporary holds are feasible given flight schedules and security requirements.
The committee voted to pass SB 694 unamended. Committee members who spoke during the hearing emphasized the low number of cases as weighing in favor of enacting the policy to avoid placing juveniles with adults, while witnesses asked the committee to reconsider the six-hour transfer limit for neighbor-island logistics.
