Posted on: Friday, May 18, 2001

54 inmates transferred to Mainland

By Johnny Brannon
Advertiser Staff Writer

State prison officials transferred 54 Hawai'i inmates to private Mainland prisons yesterday, 27 of them to an Arizona facility where fights and the death of an inmate led to the replacement of the warden this month.

Relatives of some prisoners expressed concern about the transfers, but Hawai'i public safety director Ted Sakai said he was satisfied that management of the facility has sufficiently improved.

Sakai said Hawai'i officials had yet to receive the results of an investigation into the April 16 death of Iulai Amani, 23, who prison officials suspect died from a drug overdose.

Officials at the prison have not returned phone calls this week, and warden Don Stewart did not return a call yesterday.

Stewart replaced Pablo Sedillo this month after Hawai'i prison officials visited the facility and found serious management problems. The Corrections Corporation of America owns and operates the prison.

The other 27 inmates transferred yesterday moved to a prison CCA runs in Oklahoma.