Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 10, Number 4, 1 ʻApelila 1993 — We need alternatives for incarcerated youth [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

We need alternatives for incarcerated youth

by Moanike'ala Akaka Trustee, Hawai'i In the March Ka Wai Ola I wrote about Kūlani Prison. That same month the American Civil Liberties Union threatened to sue the state because of conditions at the Hawai'i Youth Correctional Facility. In a Honolulu Advertiser

article Mar. 5, Wayne Matsuo, head of the facility, predicted that "the ACLU would win such a case." He believes HYCF is "probably unconstitutional because the state is not doing enough to segregate and protect nonvio-

lent youth from dangerous offenders." These kids are being warehoused, according to Matsuo, in overcrowded conditions, where older youths strongarm and bully younger ones. This

is compounded by allegations of some staff abusing youngsters. "The experience at the facility should be one to give the kids opportunity to make a different ehoiee," according to staff. "Instead, some boys and girls are forced to become hardened to protect themselves from abuse." Nearly five years ago the

ACLU threatened to sue, but held off upon reaching an agreement with the state. However, the state is still not living up to its promise to cut the youth prison population by providing alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent

youths. Matsuo says the state has 30 youngsters under loek and key who should not be in prison because they could function better in communitybased programs or supervised-

release programs. Instead the HYCF population increases — it

was recently at 48, whieh ACLU National Prison Project Director A1 Bronstein states is still too high. Alternative programs generally have been unavailable.

The tragedy is also that while it costs between $78,000-5100,000 to house eaeh youth at HYCF in such deplorable overcrowded conditions, it would only cost between $20,000-30,000 in a community home where more individual attention for healing will be available. Attorney Dan

Foley, quoted in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin on March 5 said, "Why spend $100,000 per kid to get sued for an unconstitutional facility where kids are assaulted and end up in prison as opposed to $20,000 per kid to have them become productive citizens. What's there to debate over? It's nonsensical!" Last year through the Health and Human Services committee I chair, OHA did fund some bed spaces at an alternative eommunitv base home throueh Wavne

Matsuo's group. In our Health and Human Services biennium budget now going through the Legislature there is a request for bed space in a Maui adolescent community home. Mueh more is needed. Remember, we're talking about kids, many of whom are Hawaiians that all too often go from HYCF to prison. We owe it to the youngsters as well as to our future to try to

resolve this social problem. Attorney Foley's position is worthy of pursuit! Last month's Ka Wai Ola O OHA article on the OHA housing division's contribution to the Keaukaha-Panaewa self-help housing project failed to acknowledge the Hilo Hawaiian

Home Builders Support Group. These kūpuna have worked long and hard, lobbying strenuously at the Legislature for funding these self-help homes in Keaukaha. Their kōkua made the project a reality. Mahalo nui loa to them. Mālama pono. Ua mau ke ea o ka 'āina i ka pono.

"The state is still not living up to its promise to cut the youth prison population by providing alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent youths."

"We owe it to the youngsters as well as to our future to try to resolve this social problem."