Alternative to prisons

[silverpenny10]

KAHEA from Ohana Ho'opakele


Aloha Kakou, January 6, 2011

This is a call for your help in establishing Pu'uhonua on all islands as alternatives to prisons to help heal our people, families and communities.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie has said he wants to bring our roughly 2,000 pa'ahao home from being locked up in Correction Corporation of America (CCA) prisons for profit on the U.S. continent. That is a good thing. But where will they go when they come home?

The mission of Ohana Ho'opakele (To Rescue the Family) is to establish Hawaiian Holistic Alternative to Prisons open to everyone, not just Kanaka Maoli. We advocate a traditional ho'oponopono process and decentralized pu'uhonua (wellness centers) on each island and eventually in every district on every island. To do this we need lots of kokua. This is a kakou thing. It involves all of us.

We need to begin to act now. While other positive programs are being proposed, in our judgment Pu'uhonua has the best hope of long-term positive change and healing for our people and communities. Pu'uhonua is also the best hope in crime prevention, saving money, reducing recidivism, and making the transition to a restored independent nation of Hawaii judicial system that is based on the host culture of this place.

If we independence leaders and allies do not act to put forward Pu'uhonua as alternatives to prison, it is likely that both the building of more private or public prisons here in Hawaii will be proposed. We cannot allow that to happen. We do not need more prisons. We need Pu'uhonua as alternatives to prisons, and we need them now.

It is our proposal with this KAHEA that meetings by independence leaders and allies, be set up on all islands to discuss establishing Pu'uhonua on each island. Myself and others in Ohana Ho'opakele would be glad to come and share our efforts with you. We have already done a Needs Assessment and a Feasibility Study for Pu'uhonua, but we need you to carry the effort forward on your home island.

Here on Moku O Keawe, we are planning a meeting on Thursday, February 24th from 9-11AM at the Church of the Holy Cross, 440 W. Lanikaula St. Hilo (right across from the University of Hawaii at Hilo). Come if you can. Email or call and leave a message if you can't make it but want to be involved. The important thing is to pull together on each island for a Pu'uhonua. It is for the good of all of our people and our nation.

Mahalo nui loa,

Samuel Kaleleiki
President

Ohana Ho'opakele P.O. Box 5530 Hilo, Hawaii 96720
ohanahoopakele@gmail.com

[Alaskana]

How exactly do you plan on "healing" someone who beats his wife? Or a repeat burglar?

They made their choice to not be part of the community when they broke the law.

[Kapohocat]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Alaskana

How exactly do you plan on "healing" someone who beats his wife?...

---

The ATV program had one of the lowest recidivism rates in the country when the FCS was operating it. I dont know what the current rates are for the new parent company.

[oink]

You have to make sure you are comparing apples to apples when looking at the stats for these alternative programs. They often show low recidivism rates mainly because they don't pick their clients from a true cross section of the prision population. Their clients are usually better prospects from the get go.

Pua`a
S. FL
Big Islander to be.

[dmbwest]

Yeah Silver, like this is gonna change these guys. Don't think so.

Let 'em rot......... The further away from law abiding citizens and familys the better !!!!

most sincerely,
pog

[punaticbychoice]

Oink, these programs should and do deal with prisoners who are capable of returning to normal society.
And yes pog, there are some prisoners who should rot in jail, repeat violent criminals who need to be isolated from the rest of society because of their predatory and violent nature. That is what the prison systems should be about.
But of course it is not.

[Orchidlandguy]

great post. Totally agree with you, punaticbychoice.
the child molesters should be added to the folks with very little if any chance to rehabilitate. Something wrong with their wiring and just can't be re-wired to stop from what I gather from friend who was social worker with these guys. Think they need an island all to themselves with no contact with society.

I do vote for the original post by silverpenny with the exceptions that punatickbychoice added: not the preditory and violent and not the child molesters.

[Kapohocat]

quote:

---

Originally posted by oink

You have to make sure you are comparing apples to apples when looking at the stats for these alternative programs. They often show low recidivism rates mainly because they don't pick their clients from a true cross section of the prision population. Their clients are usually better prospects from the get go.

Pua`a
S. FL
Big Islander to be.

---

ATV at that time had a program run by FCS and then Transition Network up at Kulani for those incarcerated for domestic violence. They also kept stats on those when released from prison. Dont know if the new ATV group keeps those same stats.

They also had a SOTP up there that was definitely one of the best run by Jana Hill.

But I do agree - keep them out of the general public... with the caveat that I had a gay friend who got accused of a sex offense - and the supposed victim was a girl of 15. He said he didnt do it - the girls father was a wackadoddle with power in Hilo. My friend had a lame public defender, no rape kit was done or it was "lost" maybe - as the dad knew what daughter was doing with older men for substances. The girl now is early thirties and has since recanted the episode. But my friend forever is labeled as a sex offender and he was gay even back then. Girl was drunk and druggie and he knew her and found her doing stuff for drug and drink money that a 15 yr old shouldn't be doing, and then smarted off something sarcastic to dad at front door when he drug the drunk daughter home to her parents.

When it came out in the paper 6-7 yrs ago with the list of sex offenders, I asked him the story... he said I had to promise not to laugh!! Which seemed weird before I heard the story. After wards, I was like you? You are SO gay (flaming) so this story as you tell it has to be true!!

What do we do with people like my friend? He cant even be cleared on DNA evidence as it does not exist for this case.

[Alaskana]

In the case of your friend, and many cases of the innocent jailed by the screwed up system, there is still some recourse. She recanted. He could have the record expunged and wiped. Personally, if I did time and was innocent I'd go after the person with every legal option at hand.

Point being though, some criminals have learned. Others don't. Some don't deserve. The system needs to be fixed before we can decide who and how to handle this.

[EightFingers]

What is this "system"?