Gov: Prison would
add 2,500 jobs

Cayetano is in Hilo today to
tout the economic benefits of
building a prison

By Debra Barayuga
and Mike Yuen
Star-Bulletin

Construction of a new 2,300-bed prison on the Big Island would stimulate the economy by creating more than 2,500 jobs, Gov. Ben Cayetano said today.

More than 1,300 jobs would be in construction and another 1,200 to support prison operations each year once it's built.

Cayetano is holding a community meeting in Hilo later today to discuss the proposed 2,300-bed medium security prison.

Two sites are being considered. One is in Kau, about a mile north of Pahala; the other is at the Kulani Correctional Facility, 20 miles south of Hilo.

Cayetano said he hopes the site selection process for a prison can be wrapped up within the next couple of months. Then the process for assessing the site's environmental impact can be done, he added.

Hundreds of Kau residents opposed the proposed Kau site at a Senate hearing earlier this year. They fear the loss of their rural lifestyle and introduction of undesirable elements to their community. Supporters say a new prison would bring needed jobs to the area.

"Building the prison will create construction and maintenance jobs, as well as stimulate economic activity in a variety of other fields such as business and consumer services, finance, wholesale and retail trades," Cayetano said this morning.

Prison personnel to be hired include 422 adult corrections officers, 60 secretaries, receptionists and clerks, and 52 health care professionals, he said. The prison will also need mechanics, electricians, plumbers, maintenance and social workers, cooks and education specialists.

Five hundred jobs also would be created in the community in agriculture, trades and services to support the facility, he said.

"There will also be a greater need for agricultural products because inmates will consume hundreds and thousands of pounds worth of beef, chicken, vegetables, fruits and milk each year."

Cayetano reiterated that he favors private financing for the prison, since that would mean it can be built on a more "timely basis."

He also said he doesn't support the Senate bill that creates a task force of residents from Kau, where a prison could be built, to assess -- and even veto -- prison proposals.

"I've already told Sen. (Andrew) Levin (the measure's author) that we cannot do these things by task forces. We need to move quickly because time is of the essence. If we get a task force for every place we want to put a prison, ... I think we would never get anything done. I think advisory groups can be created and established to provide input -- but I think giving a task force the right to veto any kind of proposal is not a good idea," Cayetano said.

Hawaii's inmate population has grown by 122 percent over the past 10 years, while bed capacity has increased by only 15 percent, from 2,500 to 2,900, Cayetano said.