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Senate committee advances phased plan to bring Hawaiʻi inmates home from out-of-state private prisons

Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs · March 26, 2026
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Summary

A Senate public-safety committee recommended passage of a bill that would incrementally return incarcerated people housed in private, out-of-state facilities to Hawaiʻi, adopting a phased schedule after testimony on capacity constraints and cultural harms.

The Senate Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs on Thursday recommended passage of House Bill 17-69, HD2, a measure directing the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to incrementally return committed felons housed in private out-of-state correctional facilities to in-state facilities and to report progress to the Legislature.

Supporters told the committee that decades of out-of-state transfers have weakened state accountability and harmed families and Native Hawaiian communities. McKenna…

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