Breaking Cycles

Welcome! This University of Hawaiʻi Community Design Center (UHCDC) storymap provides an up-to-date overview of our work with State of Hawaiʻi Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR), formerly known as the Department of Public Safety (PSD), to engage stakeholders and community members in the development of alternative proof of concept visions for the proposed new jail on Oʻahu. We are researching programs and practices inside AND outside of corrections that work to rehabilitate individuals and reduce incarceration. Our goal is to collectively define a cross-jurisdictional pathway toward a continuum of care and support in Hawaiʻi both inside and outside of corrections.

Our work is an independent addition to the longer planning and design process related to the relocation of OCCC. UHCDC's additional proof of concept research, engagement, and design studies will inform the development of a Request for Proposal (RFP) that will be issued to select a team to design and construct a new facility. UHCDC is NOT the professional team responsible for developing the RFP for a new jail, or responding to an RFP for a new jail.

CoP Meeting #3 Virtual Shareout focused on presenting updates from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Department of Accounting and General Services, and UHCDC, followed by a roundtable discussion with invited participants and Q&A. Mahalo to our speakers Pamela Sturz, Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; John Schell, Warden at Oʻahu Community Correctional Center; Chris Kinimaka, Department of Accounting and General Services; Michael Champion, Office of the Governor; Christin Johnson, Hawaiʻi Correctional System Oversight Commission; Bob Merce, Correctional Reform Working Group; Kuʻumeaaloha Gomes, Community member; Keoni Kelekolio.

CoP Meeting #3 focused on updates from DCR and DAGS regarding the overall project timeline, consultant scopes, procurement approaches, an outline of UHCDC's final report, and a brainstorm to envision continued engagement. Mahalo to our speakers John Schell, Warden at Oʻahu Community Correctional Center; Chris Kinimaka, Department of Accounting and General Services.

Mahalo to our speakers Kat Brady, Community Alliance on Prisons; John Dudoit, Makana O Ke Akua; John Schell, Oʻahu Community Correctional Center Warden; Patrick Uchigakiuchi, Prison Reform Hui.

CoP Meeting #2 presented-out new information on trauma-informed design and ethical correctional architecture, and then focused on a Design for Wellbeing Framework, Design Considerations, and Conceptual Design Approaches for the new facility, based on community feedback. Mahalo to attendees from government agencies, community organizations, neighborhood residents, consultants, and especially the men from Makana O Ke Akua for sharing their insights from years of lived experience.

CoP Meeting #1 focused on Mission/Vision/Values, Purpose, Programming, and Population Scenarios, and gathered people in-person and via Zoom to solicit feedback on this foundational approach to a new facility. Mahalo to our speaker Dan Mistak from the Community Oriented Correctional Health Services.

Mahalo to our presenters and roundtable speakers including Lois Kim, Care Hawaiʻi; Lucy Easley, Davidson County Sheriff's Office; James Krueger, HMC Architects; Hayley Cheng, Office of the Public Defender; Dennis Dunn, Hawaiʻi Coalition for Domestic Abuse; Keoki Dudoit, Makana O Ke Akua; Christin Johnson, Hawaiʻi Correctional System Oversight Commission; Bob Merce, Correctional Reform Working Group; Eugenie Naone, Ke Ola Mamo, and welcome remarks by Tommy Johnson, Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Mahalo to our presenters including Nikos Leverenz, Hawai'i Health and Harm Reduction Center; Dr. Chad Koyonagi, Department of Health, John Mizuno, Governor's Office, Judge Melanie May, Hawai'i State Judiciary; Kainoa Castro, Department of Health; Dr. Judy Mohr Peterson, Department of Human Services; and Iopa Maunakea, Men of PA'A, and welcome remarks by Tommy Johnson, Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and Dr. Michael Champion, Office of the Governor.

We were grateful to welcome over 60 participants to our workshop to discuss ways to intercept, partner, program, plan, and co-design a new facility to replace the existing OCCC. Mahalo to everyone who attended, especially Aunty Fran Dudoit, Pastor Scott Sonoda, Aiea Elementary School, the Aiea Community Association, and the Aiea Neighborhood Board for their support.

Mahalo to our speakers and attendees representing over 80 agencies and organizations directly supporting justice-impacted individuals. This symposium was sponsored by the Department of Public Safety, and organized by the University of Hawaiʻi Community Design Center (School of Architecture, Hawaiʻinuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Matsunaga Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Thompson School of Social Work and Public Health, and William S. Richardson School of Law), Hawaiʻi Correctional System Oversight Commission, Correctional Reform Working Group, with additional sponsorship from YWCA Oʻahu, and Amend at UCSF.

The Oʻahu Community Correctional Facility (OCCC) is the largest jail facility in Hawaiʻi, serving the entire island of Oʻahu as the local detention center for the First Circuit Court. As a jail, the facility houses pre-trial detainees, short-term (less than a year) sentenced inmates, and individuals serving time for parole and probation violations. In addition to its jail functions, OCCC provides reintegration programming for male sentenced felons through OCCC as well as the nearby Laumaka Work Furlough Center (LWFC).

The need for a new OCCC facility and a new location prompted the 2016 planning process that led to the current proposed plans for a new jail on the animal quarantine site in Halawa. In response to public calls for more stakeholder and community engagement and recommendations for a more restorative and Hawaiʻi-based approach, DCR contracted UHCDC to lead an independent engagement, programming, and proof of concept study to inform the work of future professional planning and design teams. UHCDC's work is shared here in this project storymap.

• Engage diverse stakeholders to co-envision an alternative program and facility model for the proposed jail site in Halawa AND a pathway toward a community-based continuum of care.
• Research restorative justice models that incorporate Indigenous knowledge, culturally grounded methods, and trauma-informed programs.
• Consult with peer facilities for critical analysis, lessons learned, and best practices.
• Share knowledge to increase public awareness and understanding.
• Facilitate interagency alignment to support comprehensive reentry and diversion strategies.
• Develop proof of concept design scenarios that reflect stakeholder input.
• Draft a guideline document to be integrated into the pending Request for Proposals (RFP) for a new jail.

Our engagement approach was developed in parallel to our work, through conversations with diverse stakeholders who offered insights on the who, what, where, when, and how-to of our outreach. The process is still ongoing, but as of September 2024, UHCDC conducted virtual talk-stories with 73 community organizations, 23 public agencies, 25 public officials; went on 17 site visits to various facilities; hosted 18 on-site listening workshops; participated in 3 public exhibits; attended 5 ʻAiea Neighborhood Board meetings and 5 ʻAiea Community Association meetings; hosted 2 listening workshops at Hālawa Correctional Facility; took part in 5 prison reform hui meetings; convened a 12-person cultural advisory group, and hosted a symposium gathering attendees from 80 different organizations.

We are meeting with people where they are, in treatment centers, reentry housing, health centers, cultural centers, churches, community gatherings, and in prison, to listen to their experiences and learn from their perspectives.

Community feedback identified a number of existing local program and facility models that are critical to providing a continuum of care. Below are specific examples of some of those models that are needed to strengthen our care infrastructure.

Below are program models (not necessarily tied to a physical facility) that were also identified as existing programs and precedents to expand and engage.

In many places jails (short term incarceration) have become hybrid facilities that support complimentary justice, health, and reintegration related programs. A few examples are included below.

1918 - The Hawaiʻi State prison cell block structure is built at the current OCCC site. Early 1970's - The enactment of "tough on crime" laws lead to a dramatic increase in the number of incarcerated individuals in jail facilities. 1972 - The Hawaiʻi Correctional Master Plan emphasizes community-based and individualized treatment, proposing a statewide system of correctional facilities including the Oʻahu Community Correctional Center (OCCC). 1979 - The first group of modules for the Oʻahu CCC/ISC facility is completed in August with a capacity to house 642 individuals. 1980's - The State's prison population doubles. Hawaiʻi's average annual increases in prison population becomes the second highest in the nation. 1982 - The Review of the Implementation of the Hawaiʻi Correctional Master Plan is published. It states that overcrowding has "hampered the implementation of programs" in OCCC 2003 - The 10-Year Correctional Master Plan Update proposes to replace OCCC with a larger facility to address the growing incarcerated population. 2010 & 2012 - The Disparate Treatment of Native Hawaiians in the Criminal Justice System Report and the Native Hawaiian Justice Task Force Report are published. 2015 - The Department of Public Safety (PSD) Director Nolan Espinda announced that the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit (HART) has decided to put a rail station near the current OCCC. 2016 - The  Technical Memorandum #1: Replacement Facility Preferred Search Area  is released. DAGS and DPW submit the  Environmental Impact Statement Preparation Notice for the Replacement of the Oʻahu Community Correctional Center . 2017 - The OCCC siting process update is released with 11 sites identified. Early 2018 - The Halawa Animal Quarantine Site is selected by DAGS as the new OCCC location. Late 2018 - The HCR 85 Task Force releases Creating Better Outcomes, Safer Communities report, which concludes that Hawaiʻi's correctional system "needs immediate and profound change." 2019 - PSD and DAGS release  Master Plan Report Volume 1  prepared by Architects Hawaiʻi Ltd. 2022 - Operating Principles/Architectural Space Program Final Report is published with plans for a future Oʻahu Community Correctional Center and future Community Transitional Center.

September 2022 - UHCDC begins research: literature and program review Spring 2023 - UHCDC begins preliminary engagement (1-on-1 and small group talk stories) Summer 2023 - UHCDC community engagement continues (talk stories and small listening workshops) Fall 2023 - UHCDC community engagement and Breaking Cycles Symposium Winter 2023 - UHCDC community engagement and synthesis Spring 2024 - UHCDC community engagement and Breaking Cycles Update Summer 2024 - UHCDC development of proof of concept designs and guideline document to be incorporated into an RFP

UHCDC will provide a set of general recommendations based on stakeholder and community outreach related to alternatives both inside and outside of corrections. UHCDC will also produce proof of concept designs used to communicate alternative approaches to OCCC programs, sizing, potential partnerships, staffing/training, community engagement, and site and facilities design.

1.  OCCC Future Plans - Reports and Studies 

1.  Creating Better Outcomes, Safer Communities: Final Report of the HCR 85 Task Force (2018) 
2.  HCR 198: Hoʻoponopono Stakeholder Convening (2017) 
3.  The Native Hawaiian Justice Task Force Report (2012) 
4.  Act 117: Wellness Center that Reestablishes Native Hawaiian Cultural Practices (2012) 
5.  The Disparate Treatment of Native Hawaiians in the Criminal Justice System (2010) 

1.  Getting It Right: Better Ideas for a New Jail 
2.  Care First, Jail Last (2020) 

1.  Huikahi Restorative Circles: A Public Health Approach for Reentry Planning (2004 - 2025) 
2.  Creating Peace by Restoring Relationships for Hawaii's Imprisoned Women with Cooperative Learning and Restorative Justice (2022 - 2024) 
3.  Hawaii Reentry Legal Resource Guide (2018 - Present) 

1.  Oʻahu Sequential Intercept Model (2024) 

The University of Hawaiʻi Community Design Center (UHCDC) is a teaching practice established and led by University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa School of Architecture, that provides a platform for faculty, staff, and students across disciplines to collaborate on public-serving built environment projects. We provide alignment, engagement, research, planning, and proof-of-concept design services that provide stakeholders with data, analysis, insights, and alternatives that help to guide and inform next steps. Principal Investigators: Cathi Ho Schar, Dan Milz, Lorinda Riley. Staff: Creesha Layaoen, Dean Matsumura, Vernon Ong, Caroline Whitesel. Students: Ghia Mari Belarmino, Kaylen Daquioag, Julia Florentino, Riza Lara, Daniel Luna, Michelle McDow, Nevaeh Nacion, Thanh Nguyen, Dylan Pilger, Yada Ponpittayalert, Maleah Reynolds, Haixin Ruan, Anuhea Sridharan, Anamalia Suʻesuʻe, Hannah Valencia. UHM Partners: Jonathan Osorio, Camille Nelson, Tetine Sentell. Consultants: Jill Misawa, Leolinda Iokepa.

To learn more about UHCDC, please feel free to visit our website  www.uhcdc.manoa.hawaii.edu 

To contact us: e-mail: uhcdc@hawaii.edu telephone: 808.956.4704