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AUGUST 2003 ~ Serena Ahuna wept while discussing her prison sentence with her attorney, James Beaman, at Circuit Court. A jury found Serena guilty on three counts of parole violation and drug charges stemming from a bust in September 2001. The maximum sentence was 15 years, but thanks in part to her progress in the Hina Mauka rehabilitation program at the Women's Community Correctional Center , Serena served a total of three years.
Serena’s Story
The birth of her daughter helps
a drug addict finally break free
from the bonds of crystal meth
Five months pregnant and a heavy drug user, Serena Ahuna was sent to prison after stealing $900 in merchandise from a retail store.
"I was like a walking zombie," Ahuna remembers about those days of stealing and bingeing on crystal methamphetamine, or "ice." Her life had been so messed up that she had lost custody of her two boys before her third pregnancy.
Editor's NoteAfter photographing a Mother's Day event at the Women's Community Correctional Center in May 2002, Star-Bulletin photographer Cindy Ellen Russell developed an interest in the lives of the inmates. Russell began to document the progress of three women, eventually focusing on one, Serena Ahuna, and following her story for more than three years. Star-Bulletin staff reporter Rosemarie Bernardo collaborated on the project and chronicled Serena's story for the duration of the project. Russell joined the Star-Bulletin staff in 2002 and Bernardo in 2000.
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Her joy soon turned to guilt when she realized that her drug use could once again hurt one of her children.
To Ahuna's relief, her daughter, Shea "Tehani" Ahuna-Agliam, was born healthy on Sept. 25, 2002, at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children. By then, Ahuna had been through an intensive substance abuse treatment program at the Women's Community Correctional Center through Hina Mauka.
"She's the reason why I turned my life around," Ahuna said.
In Hawaii, where the ravages of crystal meth use have left indelible marks on family after family, some women break free while others relapse, time and time again. And for many of them, jails become revolving doors.
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After more than a decade of drug use and theft, Ahuna didn't want to be one of them. She had to live. For her daughter.
And with a life shattered by ice, it wasn't going to be easy.
First, she had to deal with the memories. Years earlier, she had lost custody of her two sons, Keoni and Kamealoha, to Child Protective Services. She had smoked ice throughout one of her pregnancies, hurting Kamealoha.
Her daughter Shea was placed in the temporary custody of her mother, Debra. Still in prison but determined to get Shea back, Ahuna participated in anger management, domestic violence and substance abuse treatment programs.
Her hard work to get better got her noticed. She was selected as one of six inmates at WCCC to take college courses through a youthful offenders program.
Today, the 33-year-old is a full-time student at Leeward Community College and working to become a drug abuse counselor. Already, she's helping recovering addicts with college and financial aid applications.
Her life once revolved around getting high and men -- some of whom beat her or gave her ice.
She was only 18 when she took her first hit of the drug. Her habit started small -- less than a quarter gram of crystal methamphetamine with a street value of $25. Soon, she was spending hundreds of dollars each day to sustain her addiction. And she started drinking heavily.
Her downward spiral picked up speed when she started dealing ice and stealing from stores. She became aggressive, assaulting previous boyfriends and later her husband.
The birth of her two boys didn't stop her. Ahuna's older son, Keoni, bounced from foster home to foster home. Kamealoha, now 11, was adopted by Ahuna's aunt and uncle, who live in Waianae. Keoni was taken to Ahuna's mother, Debra, who later adopted him.
From 1994 to April of this year, when she was released, Ahuna spent almost eight years in prison for theft-related charges and parole violations.
In 1994, when Ahuna was 22, she was first sent to prison for theft and violating probation. She was released in 1997, but returned to prison three years later for a theft conviction. She was released in 2002, but she wouldn't be free for long.
She was back in prison for theft in May 2002 -- five months pregnant with her daughter. She was released in May 2004, but was sent back for a parole violation while on work furlough.
JANUARY 2004 ~ Serena, center, chatted with cubicle-mates Zena Quicho and Eddiemary Dickson at WCCC. "I feel people drawn to me," Serena said. Quicho and Dickson later enrolled in the rehabilitation program that Serena attended. She also served as a peer counselor.
It was Debra who took care of granddaughter Shea while Ahuna was serving her sentence -- quitting her 21-year job as a cook at Hale Wai Drive Inn to stay with her.
Every week, Debra drove from Wahiawa to the correctional facility in Kailua so Ahuna could see her children. She also picked up breast milk from Ahuna to feed Shea.
"She was the one who was there for me," said Ahuna, who credits her mother for helping her overcome her problems.
"I proud of her," Debra said. "Take a lot for her to start over and be on her own and be strong."
Ahuna's criminal record lists 26 convictions. Petty misdemeanors. Misdemeanors. Felonies.
But today, her 16-year-old son, Keoni, only sees a loving mother who's working hard to stay away from ice.
"She looks happier than what she looked like before," Keoni said. "I think she's stronger than she was before. Hopefully, she doesn't relapse."
It's not easy, Ahuna acknowledged. She attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings weekly, and reports to a parole officer twice a month. And then, there's her past, always trying to reclaim her. Old customers still seek her out for ice when she visits her mother.
"People try to tempt her," Debra said.
Her best defense is inside her wallet, Ahuna said, pulling out an aging inmate identification card. The photo shows a woman with expressionless brown eyes, sunken cheeks and disheveled, curly black hair.
"It's a reminder of what I used to be like and what I don't want to be like anymore," she said. "I'm grateful. I'm no longer there."
JUNE 2002 ~ Serena Ahuna practiced for a hula performance in the Hina Mauka unit of the Women's Community Correctional Center in Kailua. Serena was incarcerated on theft charges while five months pregnant and heavily using crystal methamphetamine. Her pregnancy and sobriety in prison spurred a critical turnaround and a commitment to remain sober, return to school, raise her kids and reunite her fractured family.
SEPTEMBER 2002 ~ Midwife Sharon Skouge took a fundal measurement at WCCC during the final days of Serena's pregnancy. Prenatal care is given in the prison clinic, but the inmate is shuttled to a hospital for the delivery of her baby.
SEPTEMBER 2002 ~ Serena breast-fed her day-old daughter, Shea Tehani Ahuna-Agliam, born healthy at 7 pounds and 9 ounces at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children. In the background, Serena's mother, Debra Ahuna, spoke with Adult Corrections Officer Michelle Brune. An officer remained with Serena throughout her delivery and for her brief hospital stay.
SEPTEMBER 2002 ~Debra Ahuna embraced her daughter, Serena, as nurses prepared to discharge newborn Shea from Kapiolani Medical Center. Serena was allowed to spend two nights and three days with her daughter before having to return to prison. Her mother agreed to take care of the baby until Serena was released.
FEBRUARY 2003 ~ Serena's husband, Donovan Agliam, carried their 5-month-old daughter out of WCCC after a visit with Serena. Visitations are allowed for 1 1/2 hours Saturdays and Sundays, the only time Serena could bond with her newborn and reconnect with her family.
FEBRUARY 2003 ~ Serena Ahuna tried to get her son Keoni, 14, to smile during a weekly family visit. Husband Donovan bottle-fed their daughter, now called by her middle name, "Tehani," as Serena's mother, Debra, looked on.
AUGUST 2003 ~ Serena's mother, Debra, quit her job as a cook to raise two of Serena's children. Immediate family members or foster parents are often left with the task of raising an incarcerated mother's children. Debra is pictured with Shea, almost 1 year old, at the Wahiawa apartment complex she manages and where she also lives. 6.
JANUARY 2004 ~ Serena dressed in the community bathroom of Kaala A at WCCC. Because the bathroom has only three showers and four toilets for 40 women, Serena would shower at dinnertime to gain some privacy.
JUNE 2004 ~ Serena was released from prison to live with her family wearing an electronic bracelet, but took the unusual step of checking herself back into WCCC after an argument with her mother. She was then sent to a work furlough and halfway house, TJ Mahoney's in Kalihi.
SEPTEMBER 2005 ~ Serena and her mother, Debra, shared a laugh together at her mother's Wahiawa apartment. Debra will care for two of her daughter's children until she can manage on her own.
SEPTEMBER 2005 ~ Serena and her husband, Donovan, held hands during a prayer at New Hope in Waipahu. "I used to attend church before but it was only to look good ... It's different now," said Serena.
SEPTEMBER 2005 ~ Serena visited Tehani at her mother's home in Wahiawa. She is trying to gain custody of the 3-year-old, get an apartment and reunite her family.
SEPTEMBER 2005 ~ Serena left a class at Leeward Community College, where she is a full-time student with a solid GPA of 3.6, working toward becoming a substance abuse counselor. She also works at the college helping other high-risk students and volunteers at two rehabilitation programs.
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