Sixty-one new probation officers were officially inducted by Chief Judge Jeannette Castagnetti during the First Circuit Probation Conference. Chief Court Administrator Lori Okita and Deputy Chief Court Administrator Dwight Sakai presented the new officers with lei and certificates of appointment.
The event, held at the Koʻolau Ballrooms & Conference Center in Kāne‘ohe, brought together judiciary staff and partners from the State Department of Health. The conference aimed to enhance public safety through effective case management and featured insights from national and local experts on community supervision practices.
Organized by the Client Services Division in collaboration with the DOH Adult Drug and Alcohol Division, this two-day event built upon previous training sessions from the 2022 and 2023 Statewide Drug Court conferences. Participants included First Circuit probation officers, specialty court staff, and probation administrators from various circuits who engaged with presenters on current issues.
Guest speakers included Major Mike Lambert of the Honolulu Police Department; Vanessa Matthews of the Treatment Court Institute; Jacqueline Van Wormer, Ph.D., of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals; Hon. Kim McGinnis from Pueblo of Pojoaque Tribal Court; Bree Derrick from Idaho Department of Correction; Tia Roberts Hartsock from Hawaiʻi's Office of Wellness & Resilience; Kumi MacDonald from NAMI Hawaii; Heather Lusk from Hawaiʻi Health & Harm Reduction Center; Joseph Turban, M.D., Medical Director at Kū Aloha Ola Mau; and Randall Kaipo Like, a certified substance abuse counselor.
Presentations covered topics such as gambling, drugs, ghost guns, law enforcement’s role with treatment courts, probation trends, trauma-informed care for probation officers, risk assessment strategies, evidence-based practices in probation services, medication-assisted treatment, and HPD’s Crisis Intervention Team initiatives.