'The right decision': Okimoto lauds decision to end early release program for prisoners

Government
179099394 889345944956150 7654323737214766282 n
Hawaii State Rep. Val Okimoto | Facebook

The Hawaii Supreme Court recently ended a program for the early release of inmates from jail, according to Civil Beat.

The program was launched last year as part of an effort to decrease the spread of COVID-19 in state correctional facilities. Rep. Val Okimoto took to Facebook to voice her support for ending the program.

"We should use common sense when dealing with the release of violent and sexual offenders back into our neighborhoods, and I applaud the Supreme Court for making the right decision," Rep. Val Okimoto wrote in an April 18 Facebook post.

According to a ruling by the high court, the program is no longer needed because Hawaii's Department of Public Safety has launched a COVID-19 testing and safety measures for correctional facilities and noted that the number of positive cases in the jail system has dropped.

County prosecutors and the state seemed to agree and testified that the program should stop because cases in county jails have declined since last year.

State public defenders can still petition the courts for the early release of clients, but will now have to do so on an individual basis.