Office of the Prosecuting Attorney and Ho`ola Lahui Hawai`i Partnering to Implement New Diversion Program
LĪHU`E, Hawai`i – Today, the County of Kaua`i Office of the Prosecuting Attorney and Ho`ola Lahui Hawai`i announced a new partnership with the Vera Institute of Justice, as part of their Reshaping Prosecuting Program's Motion for Justice program. Vera will provide Ho`ola Lahui Hawai`i with financial support to expand its diversion programming and provide the prosecutor’s office with data analysis, staff training, community engagement support, and policy expertise to increase diversion, pursue reforms centered on race equity, and show they are better paths to safety.
The Motion for Justice program creates pathways for prosecutors to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the communities they serve to create community-informed policies and practices that improve public safety and tackle racial disparities in the criminal legal system.
Ho`ola Lahui Hawai`i (“HLH”) was established in 1986 on the West Side of Kaua`i. Ho`ola Lahui Hawai`i is designated as the Native Hawaiian Health Care System for the County of Kaua`i by Papa Ola Lokahi in addition to being designated as a Federally Qualified Health Center by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. As a Native Hawaiian Health Care System, HLH has a specific focus on serving the needs of Native Hawaiians and their families. HLH Provides services in primary health care, dental care, behavioral health counseling, substance abuse counseling, health promotion, health education, chronic disease management, nutritional counseling, fitness classes, outreach services, pharmacy services and case management services.
Prosecuting Attorney Rebecca Like said, “Our Office is excited to continue our partnership with Vera, a partnership that began with a juvenile court diversion project in 2021, where we partnered with Hale `Opio to divert youth from the criminal justice system into Teen Court.
Our new diversion program will focus on behavioral health. The goal of this new diversion program is to divert low-level offenders with mental health issues through Ho`ola Lahui, where they will receive ongoing services. It is our hope that through providing behavioral health and medical services, we can catch individuals upstream and prevent them from continuing to violate the law.”
“As a former prosecutor, I know the unique and immense responsibility that prosecutors hold. To improve public safety, we must build stronger connections between prosecutors and the communities they serve,” said Mona Sahaf, acting director of the Reshaping Prosecution initiative at the Vera Institute of Justice. “I am thrilled to partner with both Ho`ola Lahui and the County of Kaua`i Office of the Prosecuting Attorney to tackle the deep-rooted inequities that continue to impede the safety of our communities.”
Other members of this cohort include Hennepin County District Attorney Mary Moriarty & Urban Ventures in Minnesota, Travis County District Attorney José Garza & The Excellence and Advancement Foundation in Texas, Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George & Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform in Vermont, Albemarle County Commonwealth's Attorney James Hingeley; Charlottesville Commonwealth Attorney Joseph Platania & Central Virginia Community Justice in Virginia, Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears & Grit into Grace in Indiana.
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