Corrections director urges funding for OCCC planning, reentry services as jails remain overcrowded

The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation told the House Committee on Finance on Jan. 8 that state jails remain strained and that the department needs near-term operating and capital funding to address overcrowding, staffing shortages and reentry supports.

Director Tommy Johnson summarized staffing improvements and persistent operational pressures: the department reported reducing its vacancy rate from 30.4 percent to 24 percent, saying it ran more recruitment classes in 2024 than the prior year and placed 136 new officers on the floor in 2024 compared with 56 in 2023. "We reduced our overall vacancy count from 30.4% to 24%," Johnson said.

At the same time, Johnson and staff described several constraints on population management. They told members that roughly half of the jail population on Oahu consists of pretrial and misdemeanor detainees, which complicates transfers and long-distance movement of people between islands because frequent court appearances and transport logistics increase cost and operational risk.

Budget and capital requests

The department requested a mix of funding for operations and capital projects in the executive biennium materials and asked members to consider near-term operating increases and planning funds for major CIP work:

- Reentry and transitional supports: The department requested $4,000,000 for reentry services to cover case management, housing supports, warm handoffs and help obtaining identification and necessary documents for people returning to the community.

- Mental-health and workforce training: The request included funding for mental-health technician training and trauma-informed training for staff.

- OCCC planning and design: Johnson highlighted a $30,000,000 request to continue planning, design and procurement work for a replacement Oahu Community Correctional Center (OCCC). Johnson said approximately $14.5 million of prior planning funds remain; the current $30 million would carry the project through planning, design, RFQ/RFP work and bridging documents. The department said it would seek a larger construction authorization in a later fiscal year (the department previously requested a larger amount for construction and plans to return with that ask).

Operational context and population statistics

The department said some island facilities have spare capacity and others are over capacity: Maui was described as roughly 65 percent occupied, Halawa and women's facilities ranged in the 70s to high 90s occupancy, and OCCC faced severe crowding in parts of its footprint. Johnson said some island work-camp facilities run below capacity, which can complicate population balancing because pretrial detainees move frequently for court and transporting detainees off island entails overtime and security escorts.

Federal and other funding

DCR reported receiving over $55.5 million in federal grant funding for projects the department expects to expand through December 2024. The department also listed multiple capital projects in its budget tables and said Form A/S documents would be provided to justify requests.

Committee concerns and follow-up

Members asked about timelines for replacing OCCC, the role of the state Department of Agriculture—s animal quarantine site in site planning, and the department—s interactions with the Hawaii Correctional System Oversight Commission. Johnson said the animal quarantine facility needs to relocate to allow heavy-equipment access on the current OCCC site and that delays in moving other agencies could materially increase costs; he also said the department will continue to work with the oversight commission and judiciary on pretrial and diversion strategies.

Ending

The briefing concluded without committee action. Committee members signaled interest in further briefings on facility planning, deferred maintenance and statewide population-management options for pretrial populations.