Tough choices on Hawaii’s prisons and jails lie ahead, official says

It has been nearly 40 years since a new prison or jail opened in Hawaii, and the leader of the state’s deteriorating network of correctional facilities says the state must finally make the hard decisions about replacing its rundown old lockups.

Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Director Tommy Johnson says he plans to ask for nearly $125 million in each of the next two fiscal years, mostly for maintenance projects such as replacing a collapsing fence at the Maui jail and installing a new emergency generator at Halawa prison.

That is just for starters. Even if the Legislature and Gov. Josh Green agree to spend those many millions, the most difficult decisions lie ahead.

The department’s wish list also includes building an entirely new jail for Kauai to replace the old jail that sits in a flood zone, and an entirely new jail for Kona on the Big Island.

By far the biggest and most controversial pending project is construction of a new 1,300-bed jail to replace the old and inefficient Oahu Community Correctional Center in Kalihi, a plan that has been the focus of more than a decade of debate and controversy.

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