Native Hawaiian prisoners better to stay in islands
This recent
Haleakala
Times story
looks at the issue of Native Hawaiian prisoners, particularly women, being
shipped out of the islands to private American
prisons.Although Native Hawaiians make up only 9.2 percent of Hawaii’s populations, according to the 2000 U.S. Census, Native Hawaiians make up 42 percent of the prisoners who are sent to the mainland for incarceration.
The
author notes that while it costs more (nearly double) to house prisoners in
Hawaii, Hawaiian prisoners housed away have a much higher recidivism rate
(nearly double), while housing prisoners in Hawaii is much better for the family
involved, giving children the ability to visit their mothers, for example.
Positive solutions are suggested based on community programs that address the
women's needs. The article also touches on the issue of the for-profit prisons
using prison labor as a second source of income.
Posted: Wed - November 15, 2006 at 10:47 AM