The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR) welcomed a new class of adult corrections officers (ACO) today, June 21, 2024, at a graduation ceremony held at the Mission Memorial Auditorium in Honolulu. Eighteen graduates from Basic Corrections Recruit Class (BCRC) 24-03 completed their training and will commence their careers as corrections officers in facilities across Hawaiʻi.
This marks the third class of corrections officers to graduate since the DCR was redesignated from the Department of Public Safety (PSD), effective January 1, 2024. Following the redesignation, the DCR shortened the recruit training course from 11 weeks to eight weeks while maintaining essential training components to ensure ACOs are adequately prepared for their roles. Additionally, the department increased the number of graduating classes from two or three per year to six to address staffing shortages in Hawai‘i’s correctional facilities.
DCR Director Tommy Johnson stated, “We continue our efforts to fill the many Adult Correction Officer vacancies. This graduating class (BCRC 24-03) will help fill those vacancies.” Currently, there are nearly 400 vacant ACO positions out of an estimated 1,500 authorized positions.
The BCRC training course comprises over 300 hours of classroom instruction and physical training. Recruits are educated on various subjects including standards of conduct, ethics and professionalism, report writing, interpersonal communications, maintaining security, crisis intervention, security threat groups (gangs), mental health, first aid, use of firearms, and self-defense tactics.
DCR Correctional Institutions Division Deputy Director Pamela Sturz commented, “Every staff member brings different life experiences to our workforce, which helps mold our future with both seasoned staff and those with a fresh set of eyes. Together, there are endless possibilities for growth of our department.”
The department’s mission is to provide a secure correctional environment offering comprehensive rehabilitative services including culturally based approaches for individuals sentenced to its custody and care. The goal is to reduce recidivism and generational incarceration while enhancing community safety and security.
All incoming classes receive Recruit Field Training alongside Basic Corrections Training. During the final weeks of training, recruits enter facilities under the guidance of their training sergeants.
The eighteen graduates have been assigned as follows:
- Hālawa Correctional Facility: 6
- Women’s Community Correctional Center: 3
- Hawaiʻi Community Correctional Center: 4
- Maui Community Correctional Center: 1
- Oʻahu Community Correctional Center: 4