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News Release
For Immediate Release: October 4, 2023
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County of Kaua‘i
Office of the Prosecuting Attorney
Rebecca Like, Prosecuting Attorney
(808) 241-1888 |
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Office of the Prosecuting Attorney Announces $1 million Grant Award to Start E Ho’i I Ka Piko Re-entry Program
Līhu‘e – Prosecuting Attorney Rebecca Like announced today that the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney (OPA) was awarded a $1 million grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Fiscal Year 2023 Second Chance Act Pay for Success Program. The program will be managed under OPA’s Life’s Choices Kaua‘i Program with Coordinator Michael Miranda. The funds will be used to start the E Ho’i I Ka Piko program. E ho’i i ka piko, roughly translated from Hawaiian means, “a return to the center.”
The program will implement a robust re-entry program for individuals being released from Kaua‘i Community Correctional Center (KCCC) over a 5-year period. The program will expand the Life’s Choices’ existing Go Pack! Program, which provides limited resources to inmates upon release, including assistance with obtaining government identification, a resource list, two doses of Naloxone and a monthly bus pass.
The projected outcome would be a reduction in recidivism (reoffending and rearrest) and a meaningful connection to home and community for participants (E ho’i i ka piko). This project will serve historically underserved and marginalized communities. Demographic data from the KCCC indicates a large percentage of minorities, with the highest percentage of Native Hawaiians at KCCC over any other correctional institution in the State. The program will incorporate Native Hawaiian values and will incorporate the input and participation of historically underserved communities through the program’s community partnerships.
Prosecuting Attorney Like stated, “Crime and incarceration are costly, not only monetarily, but in the residual harm caused to children and families. Evidence-based reentry programs save our community money by reducing the number of individuals re-entering jails. It costs approximately $100,000 per year to house one inmate in the State of Hawai‘i. The estimated cost of building a new jail on O‘ahu is over $900 million. Those funds could be better spent on providing resources to released individuals to help them become productive members of their community.”
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OFFICE OF THE PROSECUTING ATTORNEY
COUNTY OF KAUA‘I, STATE OF HAWAI‘I
3990 Ka‘ana Street, Suite 210, Līhu‘e, Hawai‘i 96766
Tele: 808-241-1888
Fax: (808) 241-1758
Email: prosecutor@kauai.gov
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