State makes progress
in improving youth prison
The state Office of Youth Services, in cooperation with the American Civil Liberties Union, has made progress in addressing allegations of overcrowding and abuse at the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility, Deputy State Attorney General Richard Bissen said yesterday.
The ACLU made the allegations in a report submitted to Gov. Linda Lingle in August and threatened legal action if the state did not address them. Lingle replaced top management at the facility and ordered an investigation.
"There isn't any threat of a lawsuit at this point," Bissen said.
An ACLU legal team will visit the Windward Oahu facility soon to see what progress has been made, said Vanessa Chong, ACLU executive director. No date has been set for the visit, she said.
Bissen said the ACLU legal team visited in November and made no negative comments or additional complaints.
Chong is also co-chairwoman of Hawaii Juvenile Justice Project, with leaders of private, government and community organizations working to address the needs of troubled minors. The group is hoping to work with the Lingle administration to make the necessary changes to head off a lawsuit.
"Litigation is expensive, you don't know the final outcome and can be really divisive," Chong said. "So this project offers the potential for getting government commitments, specific commitments, to do certain things and thereby avoid litigation."
The project held its first public meeting yesterday. The project also has a broader mission to raise statewide awareness about what juveniles face when they break the law, make improvements to the juvenile justice system and seek alternatives to incarceration, Chong said.
It is looking for a part-time director to shepherd legislation, coordinate meetings and to reach out to other entities, like law enforcement.