A COVID-19 Appeal: Jail and prison action needed now to help save lives and protect public health.
A COVID-19 Appeal: Jail and prison action needed now to help save lives and protect public health.
Mayor Harry Kim, Hawaii County Council members, Hawaii State Legislature COVID-19 Committee members, Hawaii State Legislators (especially those representing Hawaii Island), and Hawaii Congressional Representatives:
You may not all have jurisdiction over the Hawaii Community Correctional Center (HCCC), the private CoreCivic’s Saguaro prison in Eloy, Arizona housing Hawaii prisoners. But you do have leverage, influence and the ability to bring stakeholders from agencies together to prevent what happened at OCCC in HCCC and at Saguaro and all Hawaii correctional facilities. HCCC is grossly overcrowded. Waiting until an incarcerated person or staff is positive for COVID-19 and the numbers quickly multiply like at OCCC is a recipe for disaster. The number of COVID-19 cases in Hawaii county is growing rapidly and at jails and prisons throughout the U.S. Time is of the essence. We need strong leadership and action now!
Release all people serving sentences for nonviolent crimes, or those charged with nonviolent offenses who cannot make cash bail. Release all prisoners not deemed a danger to the community and those over the age of 65. Statistics show elderly prisoners have an extremely low, virtually zero, recidivism rate. Provide necessary support for the released prisoner’s reentry into the community. This potential for release in the face of this COVID-19 pandemic should apply, not only to the hundreds of prisoners at HCCC, but to the more than 1100 Hawaii prisoners presently confined at the CoreCivic-run Saguaro prison in Eloy, Arizona.
Mahalo,
Jim Albertini
(Add your name, cut and paste from the email list below, and send it out. Mahalo!)
Mayor Harry Kim: harry.kim@hawaiicounty.gov
Councilmember Aaron Chung: aaron.chung@hawaiicounty.gov
“ Valerie Poindexter: valierie.poindexter@hawaiicounty.gov
“ Susan Lee Loy: sue.leeloy@hawaiicounty.gov
“ Ashley Kierkiewicz: ashley.kierkiewisz@hawaiicounty.gov
“ Matt Kanealii-Kleinfelder: matt.kanealii-kleinfelder@hawaiicounty.gov
“ Maile David: maile.david@hawaiicounty.gov
“ Rebecca Villegas: Rebecca.villegas@hawaiicounty.gov
“ Karen Eoff: karen.eoff@hawaiicounty.gov
“ Herbert Tim Richards III: tim.richards@hawaiicounty.gov
US Senator: Brian Schatz:
US Senator Mazie Hirono: Hirono.outgoing.mail@hirono.senate.gov
US Representative Tulsi Gabbard: TulsiOffice@mail.house.gov
US Representative Ed Case: edcase@mail.house.gov
House CDOVID-19 Special Committee
Representative Scott Saiki: repsaiki@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Senate COVID -19 Special Committee
Senator Donovan Dela Cruz, chair: sendelacruz@capitol.hawaii.gov
Public Defender: Jacquie Esser: esserjt@gmail.com
Hawaii Correctional Systems Oversight Commission: lisa.m.itomura@hawaii.gov
Chair: Mark Patterson
Members: Theodore Sakai, Martha Torney, Hon. Ronald Ibarra, Hon. Michael Town ce
Chair, Senate Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs Committee:
Senator Clarence Nishihara: sennishihara@capitol.hawaii.gov
Dan Foley:
Robert Bob Merce: mercer001@hawaii.rr.com,
Edmund “Fred” Hyun: fhyun01@gmail.com,
Lt Governor Josh Green:
Senator Kai Kahele:
