Covering the Cost: The cost of incarceration and Hawaii’s prison system

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - In this episode of “Covering the Cost” on June 3 at 12:30 p.m., Annalisa Burgos sits down with criminal justice reform advocate Kat Brady to talk about the cost of incarceration and the impact of Hawaii’s prison system on its economy.

Hawaii spends about $112,000 a year, more than $300 a day, to lock up one person, nearly double the national average. Nearly half of those released are back behind bars within three years.

Still, Hawaii’s incarceration rate has dropped 35% over the past decade.

In 2024, the Hawaii Department of Public Safety split into two separate agencies to better focus on their respective responsibilities: the Department of Law Enforcement (DLE) and Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR).

DCR director Tommy Johnson has said he’s focused on providing more support and social services for inmates so they can transition successfully back into society.

But Brady, coordinator of the Community Alliance on Prisons and a three-decade advocate for prison reform, says officials need to invest in education and communities, instead of spending $1 billion on a new modern jail to replace the overcrowded and dilapidated OCCC.

“Imagine if the community had that kind of money we could actually start these centers where people could actually come to get mental health treatment, substance misuse treatment, to have psychiatrists that could actually help them talk through some of the issues they’re wrestling with,” she said.

Brady also believes in ending cash bail in Hawaii, saying it fuels overcrowding and unfairly punishes poor pretrial detainees who spend months in jail for low level offenses.

Nearly 70% of the people at Oahu Community Correctional Center (OCCC) haven’t been convicted of a crime.

“It doesn’t make communities safer. It destroys family. People lose their housing, their jobs. Kids lose their parents,” she said.

Critics disagree. They say a new jail is critical, and bail helps prevent repeat offenses and protects victims.

“We may see burglaries in one area where it’s the same guy over and over again,” said Michael Kitchens, founder of Facebook community group Stolen Stuff Hawaii. “Without proper services, without programs to help reduce the recidivism, releasing them just because they’re poor doesn’t solve the problem.”

“Yes, we need to have proper programs to help these people get back on their feet, and we should help try and reduce the stigma of being a criminal who’s paid their time, who’s put in their effort to become better people. But we cannot harm the community,” Kitchens added.

According to DCR, 6.7 percent of the state’s jail population describe themselves as homeless or having no permanent address. About 30% of those held in OCCC are Native Hawaiian. One in five are held for technical parole violations, not new crimes.

Every legislative session, Brady lobbies lawmakers and other officials to address system inequities and push for policies that ensure humane treatment of those in jails and prisons. Among those lawmakers passed this past session involve SNAP benefits for certain releasees, criminal record expungement for those convicted of violations, and keeping those convicted of non-violent misdemeanors out of deportation proceedings.

She believes officials should fund programs that address the root problems that lead to incarceration, such as homelessness and mental health issues.