State reassigns guard
amid beating allegationThe reported victim is an inmate
at the youth facility in Kailua
A guard at Hawaii's youth prison was reassigned pending an investigation into the reported beating of a young inmate, officials said yesterday.
The incident allegedly occurred June 11, days before a civil-rights group accused the state of doing little to stop such abuses that were first alleged last summer
Kaleve Tufono-Iosefa, corrections manager at the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility in Kailua, confirmed that an "incident" occurred and that one guard has since been reassigned within the lockup.
"We have taken swift action," Tufono-Iosefa said. "We are in the process of investigation and we are addressing the issue."
She declined to provide details.
Lois Perrin, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii, said her office received an anonymous letter on June 15, "detailing the beating of a ward," and immediately notified the state Attorney General's Office.
"The ACLU is very concerned that these incidents of guard brutality continue to occur," Perrin said yesterday. "We hope an appropriate investigation is under way and appropriate remedial action will be taken right away."
The anonymous letter arrived at the ACLU the day after the organization asked Gov. Linda Lingle to immediately step in and take action to correct alleged crowded, unsanitary and abusive conditions at the youth lockup.
The ACLU, which first brought the allegations to Lingle's attention in August, said follow-up visits and interviews with inmates indicated that the problems persisted.
Lingle had said she would review the ACLU's latest findings with her staff and take action if it was needed.
State officials disagreed with the ACLU's contention that little had been done to address the concerns, noting that the prison's top two administrators were reassigned and that investigations have yielded two criminal cases. A guard accused of raping a 15-year-old girl a year ago pleaded guilty to sexual assault and is to be sentenced next month to 15 years in prison.
First Deputy Attorney General Richard Bissen and Office of Youth Services Director Sharon Agnew also said rehabilitation programs have helped reduce the inmate population to an average of fewer than 60, down from more than 90 in August.
Tufono-Iosefa said the June 11 incident was the first case that has led to an abuse investigation since she took over as the top administrator on April 5.
Officials say other reform efforts have included working with community groups, law enforcement officials, state judges and others to develop programs aimed at keeping troubled youths out of the legal system altogether.
"I think the main thing to note is we are taking steps to address issues that are arising," Tufono-Iosefa said. "The thing is, everything takes time."