Bill Text: HI HR77 | 2023 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Urging The University Of Hawaii To Establish A Restorative Justice Research Institute, Or Hookaulike, At The William S. Richardson School Of Law.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 11-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-03-30 - Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on JHA with none voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Garcia voting no (1) and Representative(s) Ilagan, Sayama, Woodson excused (3). [HR77 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2023-HR77-Introduced.html

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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	77
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

urging the university of hawaii to establish a restorative justice research institute, or hookaulike, at the william s. richardson school of law.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, the criminal justice system in Hawaii has a disparate impact on Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and other persons of color; and

 

     WHEREAS, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders comprise approximately twenty percent of Hawaii's adult population but account for more than forty percent of the population in the State's prisons; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs found that Native Hawaiians are more likely to receive prison sentences, and to receive comparatively longer prison sentences, than non‑indigenous persons who commit the same crimes; and

 

     WHEREAS, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and other persons of color often experience intergenerational poverty and trauma, insufficient support services, inadequate housing, poor health outcomes, and other systemic challenges that contribute to their disproportionate rate of incarceration; and

 

     WHEREAS, addressing these issues requires community engagement; a multi-disciplinary approach; and evidence-based polices, goals, and guidelines; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, that the University of Hawaii is urged to establish a restorative justice research institute, or Hookaulike, at the William S. Richardson School of Law; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, if established, the Hookaulike is encouraged to:

 

     (1)  Advise the State on the creation of a fair and inclusive criminal justice system that addresses the disparate challenges facing Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and other persons of color, and emphasizes restoration and healing;

 

     (2)  Facilitate collaborations between the William S. Richardson School of Law, Hawaiinuiakea School of Hawaiian Knowledge, Thompson School of Social Work and Public Health, and University of Hawaii Community Design Center;

 

     (3)  Develop advocacy programs to assist vulnerable communities in Hawaii, including Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and other persons of color, to ensure the communities have inclusive, culturally appropriate, and fair representation in the State's criminal justice system;

 

     (4)  Conduct and promote research, and hold academic and professional conferences, to provide recommendations for evidence-based improvements to county, state, and federal criminal justice systems, including improvements to laws, policies, methods, rules, and procedures; and

 

     (5)  Arrange regular discussions among state and county agencies, private and nonprofit organizations, the Judiciary's Criminal Justice Research Institute, and other stakeholders to evaluate issues relevant to policing, prosecutions, and corrections; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chair of the University of Hawaii Board of Regents; Deans of the William S. Richardson School of Law, Hawaiinuiakea School of Hawaiian Knowledge, and

Thompson School of Social Work and Public Health; Principal Investigators of the University of Hawaii Community Design Center; and Director of the Criminal Justice Research Institute.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Criminal Justice; Restorative Justice; University of Hawaii