Youth prison rank and file to testify
Lawmakers want to verify administrators' recent statements
After two days of testimony from administrators, lawmakers investigating alleged abuses at the state's youth prison say they are anxious to hear from those who work with and oversee the juvenile inmates.
"We hear, basically, general statements (from administrators) about what they're doing and they're moving along," said Senate Judiciary Chairwoman Colleen Hanabusa. "We'll see whether or not it's true.
"I believe that the line people will be there to tell us exactly whether they're moving ahead."
The joint House-Senate committee investigating conditions at the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility held its second of three scheduled hearings yesterday.
A final briefing is set for tomorrow, when lawmakers are expected to hear from workers at the Kailua facility who have been subpoenaed to testify under oath.
Those subpoenaed to appear before the committee include the facility's top administrators, three youth corrections officers, a doctor and nurse practitioner, five social workers, and a supervisor.
"A simple question is: Are they better off and do they feel the situation is better off now than it was before?" Hanabusa said. "If yes, why and what's the difference?"
Among the main issues raised at yesterday's hearing was the alleged abuse of sick leave and overtime by workers at the youth prison.
Lawmakers questioned why some workers have been able to amass anywhere from 57 to 270 hours of sick leave over the past year.
Kaleve Tufono-Iosefa, the youth prison's administrator, said the issue is being addressed through a two-phase program to both study the pattern of sick leave among employees and then provide warning to those who appear to be abusing the system.
If the employee continues to show a pattern of abusing the system, the worker would then be disciplined, Tufono-Iosefa said.
She stressed to lawmakers that the alleged abuse is only among a "handful" of the 63 workers currently employed at the facility.
The sick leave issues also have contributed to an increased number of overtime hours, she said.
"All it takes is one or two employees to call in sick," she said," then it creates that whole domino effect in terms of coverage."
She said administrators have instituted a 16-hour cap on daily overtime that employees may take, and that she continues to try and work with employees to address staffing situations as they arise while also honoring union contracts.
She added that the youth prison has four permanent jobs and three temporary positions that need to be filled.
Hanabusa (D, Nanakuli-Makua) said she felt more could be done.
"What's coming out in these hearings is a very clear picture of what I consider to be a glossing over of it, thinking that the committee will just go away," she said.
Sharon Agnew, executive director of the Office of Youth Services, which oversees the youth prison, said her office continues to make progress within the state's bureaucracy.
"I think it's a very complex issue because we have civil service rules, we have bargaining agreements to abide by," she said. "What seems like a simple solution sometimes doesn't take into consideration all of the hoops that we go through at HYCF.
"I think in these hearings it's good to ask the questions, but it's hard to explain 2 1/2 - years' worth of improvement and also the condition of the facility when we arrived -- which was totally in disrepair."Lawmakers want to verify administrators' recent statements
By B.J. Reyes
bjreyes@starbulletin.com
After two days of testimony from administrators, lawmakers investigating alleged abuses at the state's youth prison say they are anxious to hear from those who work with and oversee the juvenile inmates.
"We hear, basically, general statements (from administrators) about what they're doing and they're moving along," said Senate Judiciary Chairwoman Colleen Hanabusa. "We'll see whether or not it's true.
"I believe that the line people will be there to tell us exactly whether they're moving ahead."
The joint House-Senate committee investigating conditions at the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility held its second of three scheduled hearings yesterday.
A final briefing is set for tomorrow, when lawmakers are expected to hear from workers at the Kailua facility who have been subpoenaed to testify under oath.
Those subpoenaed to appear before the committee include the facility's top administrators, three youth corrections officers, a doctor and nurse practitioner, five social workers, and a supervisor.
"A simple question is: Are they better off and do they feel the situation is better off now than it was before?" Hanabusa said. "If yes, why and what's the difference?"
Among the main issues raised at yesterday's hearing was the alleged abuse of sick leave and overtime by workers at the youth prison.
Lawmakers questioned why some workers have been able to amass anywhere from 57 to 270 hours of sick leave over the past year.
Kaleve Tufono-Iosefa, the youth prison's administrator, said the issue is being addressed through a two-phase program to both study the pattern of sick leave among employees and then provide warning to those who appear to be abusing the system.
If the employee continues to show a pattern of abusing the system, the worker would then be disciplined, Tufono-Iosefa said.
She stressed to lawmakers that the alleged abuse is only among a "handful" of the 63 workers currently employed at the facility.
The sick leave issues also have contributed to an increased number of overtime hours, she said.
"All it takes is one or two employees to call in sick," she said," then it creates that whole domino effect in terms of coverage."
She said administrators have instituted a 16-hour cap on daily overtime that employees may take, and that she continues to try and work with employees to address staffing situations as they arise while also honoring union contracts.
She added that the youth prison has four permanent jobs and three temporary positions that need to be filled.
Hanabusa (D, Nanakuli-Makua) said she felt more could be done.
"What's coming out in these hearings is a very clear picture of what I consider to be a glossing over of it, thinking that the committee will just go away," she said.
Sharon Agnew, executive director of the Office of Youth Services, which oversees the youth prison, said her office continues to make progress within the state's bureaucracy.
"I think it's a very complex issue because we have civil service rules, we have bargaining agreements to abide by," she said. "What seems like a simple solution sometimes doesn't take into consideration all of the hoops that we go through at HYCF.
"I think in these hearings it's good to ask the questions, but it's hard to explain 2 1/2 - years' worth of improvement and also the condition of the facility when we arrived -- which was totally in disrepair."