HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES H.C.R. NO. 76 THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023 STATE OF HAWAII HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION urging the university of hawaii to establish a restorative justice research institute, or hookaulike, at the william s. richardson school of law.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES H.C.R. NO. 76
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023
STATE OF HAWAII
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
H.C.R. NO.
76
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023
STATE OF HAWAII
HOUSE CONCURRENT
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, the Senate concurring, 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 Concurrent 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
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, the Senate concurring, 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 Concurrent 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: _____________________________
OFFERED BY:
_____________________________
Report Title:
Criminal Justice; Restorative Justice; University of Hawaii