"I have also talked with some private firms who are interested in building and operating prisons here. By facilitating the development of private prisons, we can reduce prison overcrowding, improve existing ones, and build much needed new facilities without breaking the bank."
Sam Slom (Republican): "(1) Prioritize existing prisons with the most violent criminals, followed by those who threatened violence and have the known capability. Use space more efficiently. Transfer nonviolent individuals in prison to less costly facilities or monitoring; jail violent offenders longer and end early release;
"(2) Build additional prisons, using private corrections companies who've shown willingness and ability to do this on the Big Island and statewide without any cost to Hawaii's taxpayers;
"(3) Accelerate prisoner export (Texas and elsewhere) saving per capita costs of 50 percent or more, increasing existing space and current revenues.
"(4) Reinstate death penalty."
Warner "Kimo Sutton" (Republican): "No band-aid solution will take the place of the state not building more prison space in the years past. Misdemeanors can be kept in a Waiawa tent city, and drug rehab can be put at barracks when we get Barbers Point Naval Air Station. Federal funds were turned down in 1991, but $50 million due from the insurance industry will pay for it now. Cut the state government. We can convert the whole state office building right now to house criminals. We need more juvenile holding capacity, so put them up at the old Nike sites above Mokuleia, and Makakilo."
Mark Terry (Republican): "New privatized prisons should be built, and this could be done at no expense to the taxpayer. Furthermore, I agree that we should have new county prisons, specifically tent camps, built in the hills. And these tent camps would be used for the lesser-risk prisoners, and that would free-up jail cells for the higher-risk prisoners. This is of the highest priority because our safety is in danger. We have criminals running loose for lack of prison space, and so it is actually an emergency to do this."
Sen. Milton Holt (Democrat): Did not respond.
Jonathan Low (Republican): "Prisons are not crowded. This is a shibai created by criminal-coddling judges who care more about the comfort of criminals than community safety. The solution is to impeach the judges who twist the meaning of 'cruel and unusual punishment.'
"Until then, they can be housed in abandoned buildings on Barbers Point Naval Air Station and Ford Island.
"Prisons save money. We spend $20,000 per year per prisoner. If free he will cause $430,000 damage (Rand Corp. 1982). Or if you prefer Justice Department figures, he will cause $170,000 to $2,364,000 damage each year (National Institute of Justice 1990)."
Want to know where candidates stand on issues? Here's your chance to get some answers. Call us with a specific question for candidates for the hotly contested Senate District 8 and 14 seats, now held by Donna Ikeda and Milton Holt, respectively. We'll pick a couple of questions to ask the candidates and print their responses in Thursday's Star-Bulletin.
Call: 533-6977 on Oahu until 8 p.m. today.