Posted on: Sunday, October 3, 2004
COMMENTARY
Youth-custody editorial ill-conceived
By Sharon Agnew and Kaleve Tufono-Iosefa
The safety and well-being of children in state custody is a matter handled with delicate care and consideration, which is why The Advertiser's Sept. 20 editorial misses the mark in stating the youth "Mainland transfers are an embarrassment."
Moving the girls temporarily from the Hawai'i Youth Correctional Facility to Utah was an important step in addressing many of the long-standing issues at the youth facility. Our goal in moving the girls for up to 60 days is to ensure they would continue to receive high-quality programs and education.
In recent months, with the assistance of the courts, we have placed as many female wards as possible in alternative programs in communities on O'ahu and Neighbor Islands.
Some girls succeeded, while others had to be returned to the youth facility. Some wards require secure custody for their protection and the public's safety. Therefore, while there are residential beds available in some community programs, there are no available "secured custody" programs in Hawai'i for these youth offenders.
Our girls in Utah will be allowed to have three phone calls a week to family and have access to video-conferencing to continue contact with their families. The Utah facility has high-quality programs that include life skills training, educational programming, sports activities, individual and group counseling, HIV/AIDS education, and substance-abuse services.
There also is an Office of Polynesian Affairs to assist in addressing the cultural needs of Polynesian children.
It is important to note that transferring young wards to the Mainland is not new. When appropriate, the state has placed male wards in programs on the Mainland with much success. We expect the girls will gain similar benefits during their experience in this highly recommended Utah facility.
While the girls are receiving services, the boys with short-term commitments will be separated from those wards with more serious offenses. Management will focus on staff support issues and overall policy improvements for youth and staff.
And Office of Youth Services and Hawai'i Youth Correctional Facility officials are working on opening a third housing unit on the campus which will require that safety improvements, staff scheduling and training be merged with improvement policies, union bargaining agreements and access to programs.
The Lingle-Aiona administration has initiated an effort to improve conditions at the facility. Months before any notice of federal investigation, the administration already was aggressively tackling issues such as gender-specific posts for females on every shift, a 35 percent reduction in population, and increased community alternatives to incarceration.
Sending the girls temporarily to Utah was a difficult decision, but was a choice that had to be made in the best interest of youths at the Hawai'i youth facility. Positive change is not an "embarrassment," but an indicator of progress at the youth facility.
Sharon Agnew is executive director of the state Office of Youth Services and Kaleve Tufono-Iosefa is administrator of the Hawai'i Youth Correctional Facility.
