The governor said the inmates will need to convince employers and others why they should be given another chance.

"You need to express to people why they should trust you," she said, speaking in a muggy, dimly lit room and surrounded by prison guards in addition to her regular security detail.

"Because you took a wrong turn doesn't mean you have to stay on that road," she said. "I hope you take these skills, appreciate them, and use them when you get out."

Distinguished Toastmaster Jeff Beard, who has mentored the Halawa chapter since its inception in 1998, said there's one major difference between the typical Toastmasters chapter and one behind prison walls: "You hear speeches like you won't hear in any other club."

But for the most part, Ho'oponopono Pa'ahao is the same as other Toastmasters chapters, which emphasize that good public-speaking abilities go a long way toward instilling confidence in individuals, Beard said.

Lingle took in three speeches by inmates during her 90-minute visit.

Steven Martinez recalled his childhood and the hurt he felt when he learned of the death of his grandfather, and he hinted at the guilt he felt for taking himself out of his own grandson's life. Victor Flores recounted the tribulations of his family, as told to him by relatives, on a war-ravaged Pacific island during the summer of 1944 and how his own life seemed "relatively easy" by comparison.

And, in his speech, Billy Barnes urged Lingle to consider his theories on the prison overcrowding issue "from the inside looking out." He also urged the governor to consider providing more educational programs to meet the variety of needs of inmates, and he proposed giving prisoners more "sanctuary" time away from others so that they can think.

There are three other Toastmasters chapters within the state prison system — at the Maui Community Correctional Center, the Women's Community Correctional Center and the Kaua'i Community Correctional Center — but the Halawa group is the oldest.

To get into the program, an inmate must have a high school degree or a General Educational Development certificate, or be working toward a GED certificate, Beard said.

Lingle was a member of the Maui County Council when she first joined Toastmasters more than a decade ago, ultimately starting her own chapter.

The governor last night turned her involvement in Toastmasters into the night's biggest joke. When opponent Mazie Hirono described Lingle as "just a glib Toastmaster," she said, Toastmasters statewide rallied around her and pushed her support over the top.

Beard said the group invited Lingle not just because of her Toastmasters background, but because of her belief that "we have to do something other than just lock them up."