Poll: Service distribution unjust

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

Many Hawai'i residents believe the state's justice resources are unequally distributed based on location and ethnic background.

They also believe there is an imbalance of power in government decision-making between "insiders" and ordinary citizens.

Those were just two of the results of a survey conducted by the Hawai'i Justice Foundation that were released yesterday. The "Issues of Justice in Hawai'i Study 2002" sought to identify themes of justice that were strongest among O'ahu leaders and the state's residents.

"We wanted feedback on issues of justice, and just as importantly, hear about where people believe injustice exists and how the Hawai'i Justice Foundation can help," said Michael Broderick, president of the foundation's board of directors.

The Hawai'i Justice Foundation is a nonprofit organization that monitors the legal needs of Hawai'i's low- and moderate-income people and finds financial, technical and organizational support to meet those needs. The study's findings will help the foundation direct its resources.

The study consisted of two parts, the first involving O'ahu community leaders who met in May to generate 10 statements relating to justice in Hawai'i. The issues were then used in a statewide survey to test residents' responses to the statements.

Many of the 505 residents surveyed said they felt disengaged from government and key institutions. When asked, "When you think of issues of justice in Hawai'i, which comes to mind?" more residents cited corruption among government leaders than any other issue, according to the survey.

The survey also showed that residents feel that some communities — particularly in rural areas — lack sufficient access to resources. Waimanalo, Wai'anae and Kalihi were intentionally oversampled because of their large populations of Native Hawaiians.

Hawai'i Justice Foundation officials said they were surprised that Hawaiian issues were overshadowed in importance by issues such as treatment of drug offenders, homelessness, and the diversion of natural resources away from local communities.

Here are the 10 justice issues and the percentage of residents who rated them at least an eight on a 10-point scale.

• Unequal distribution of resources based on location and ethnic background; for example, unequal funding of public schools in different communities, 61 percent.
• Imbalance of power in government decision-making between "insiders" and ordinary citizens, 59 percent.
• Educating Hawai'i's business leaders about the problems of local communities, 56 percent.
• Homelessness in Hawai'i, 54 percent.
• Discrimination against underprivileged groups in the provision of state services, such as education, legal services, child protective services and healthcare, 53 percent.
• The issue of treating drug offenders versus incarcerating them, 53 percent.
• Low participation in government by residents, as in Hawai'i's low voter turnout, 50 percent.
• Diverting natural resources away from local farming communities in favor of big business interests, 47 percent.
• Lack of access to legal services by low- and moderate-income residents, 46 percent.
• Native Hawaiian issues, such as sovereignty and ceded lands, 37 percent.