Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Advocates oppose Sen. Kim’s plan to ship out more prisoners to Mainland
by Larry Geller
Senator Donna Mercado Kim wants to send more Hawaii prisoners to the privately run prisons on the Mainland to save money. Advocates and others want to stop that plan. The Ways and Means Committee plan to close a Hawaii prison module and ship out the prisoners was in middle of this article in the Advertiser. This is contrary to plans to bring Mainland prisoners home. You can help. See below.
This morning’s paper was full of bad economy news. Discontinuing the Maui helicopter ambulance (will cost lives), stealing a big hunk of the county hotel room tax, and school closures during the summer (could lead to another special ed lawsuit).
DHS plans to lay off 228 workers, implying that they were unnecessary in the first place (if so, Lillian Koller has been mismanaging the place).
And aside from the economy, gang activity causes the police to impose a curfew on two housing projects (is that legal?).
If the hotel tax is cut, the city threatens to eliminate
All Summer Fun and senior citizen programs, the Royal Hawaiian Band, the Office of Culture and the Arts and Office of Economic Development
Yikes. Reading all that is a bad way to start the day. And how to dig our way out of the worsening economic crisis without giving up absolutely everything? Remember, the gov is still against raising taxes. Heck with the Royal Hawaiian Band, I suppose. Read her lips.
The prison issue is something we can work on. Kat Brady circulated an action alert, part of which is below. Please consider the action she suggests.
WHAT WE NEED YOU TO DO TODAY!
1. Call (587-7200), Fax (587-7205) or E-mail Sen. Kim (senkim@capitol.hawaii.gov)
2. Ask her to consider CAP’s counter proposal, which could conservatively save $25 million a year
3. Write letters to the editor to Honolulu papers letters@honoluluadvertiser.com; letters@starbulletin.com and your local papers saying:
· smart justice, data-driven policies will save millions (as other jurisdictions are doing)
· this proposal by WAM is contrary to legislature’s expressed desire to bring our people home
· keeping our money circulating in our economy is a better choice than exporting more than $50 million a year to Corrections Corporation of America (for every dollar shipped out of Hawai`i, we lose $3-$4 in economic activity)
· when one considers the $5.6 million in claims against PSD of the last decade and the numerous deaths, rapes and the recent brutal murder of Bronson Nunuha that have not yet gone to court, are private prisons really cheaper?
Thanks again, Larry for keeping us posted. I sent this testimony to Kim and all the WAM members this morning.
Senator Kim and Members,
Well come on, whatʻll it be? The push to send Hawaii prisoners to the states is contrary to the decision by the legislature to bring Hawaii prisoners home; it is indecisiveness and contradictions like this that have caused so much turmoil in Hawaii policies.
We want inmates with roots in these islands to STAY HERE and the rest of them to be RETURNED from out-of-state prisons; but now you are turning everything around again.
We donʻt need to be passing (additional) judgment on these inmates. Reserve the prison space in Hawaii for Hawaiiʻs people.
You probably say to yourself, "Hawaiiʻs people, these criminals?" I mean to say that these are family people that went the wrong way, a lot due to the psychotic state of Hawaii affairs and how this place closes people out of a way of life
and have children and family that love them. Just think, it could be you, or anyone you know.
: March 31, 2010 at 9:52:00 AM HST << Home
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