Hawaii
Hawaii has no outside certification for adult corrections officers: the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR) hires and trains them, and it runs the State’s jails and prisons under the eye of an independent oversight commission. Since 2023 the State has required public death reports within days, extended fingerprint checks to volunteers and contractors, allowed unannounced oversight inspections, limited restrictive housing from July 1, 2026, and barred correctional facilities from most cooperation with civil immigration enforcement.
- Sources checked
- Part of
- Corrections Ledger
At a glance
- Certifying body
- None for adult corrections officers. DCR (the former Department of Public Safety, renamed by Act 278, SLH 2022) hires and trains them; its director may “Train, equip, maintain, and supervise correctional personnel” (HRS 353-1.2(a)(1)). The Law Enforcement Standards Board does not cover corrections: its “law enforcement officer” means county police and certain employees of the Departments of Law Enforcement, Land and Natural Resources, Taxation, and the Attorney General (HRS 139-1), and its certification does not begin until July 1, 2028; see the Hawaii Officer Ledger page.
- Statute
- HRS chapter 353 (Corrections), including 353-1.5 (background checks), 353-40 (death reporting), 353-41 (restrictive housing, Act 292, SLH 2025), 353-71 (parole officers), and 353-122 (restraints on pregnant women); HRS chapter 353L (Hawaii Correctional System Oversight Commission) (HRS ch. 353).
- Minimum standards
- By statute, DCR must set standards for the “reputable and responsible characters” of staff and must run Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center record checks, with fingerprinting before hire, on staff and prospective staff directly involved in the care of committed persons. It may deny employment for any conviction other than a minor traffic fine of $50 or less if the person poses a risk (HRS 353-1.5(a), (c) to (e)). DCR’s recruit page lists a high school diploma or GED (or two years of college in lieu of experience), firearms qualification, and being drug free; automatic disqualifiers include being on probation or the respondent on a temporary restraining or protective order, and PREA-based permanent disqualifiers include sexual abuse in an institution (DCR recruit information).
- Basic training
- A DCR program, not a statute. The Basic Corrections Recruit Class is part of the probationary period and examination process. DCR’s page says both that “successful completion of the 10-week BCRC class is a requirement for membership in the civil service” and that “The Academy is approximately eight weeks long,” so the length is unresolved. Recruits move from ACO Recruit to ACO III after a 9-month probation and 12 months of work (DCR recruit information).
- In-service training
- No general statutory in-service hour requirement was found. Since July 1, 2026, DCR policies must require “periodic training of disciplinary staff and all other staff who interact with committed persons held in restrictive housing,” developed with qualified professionals and covering the restrictive housing standards (HRS 353-41(d)(2)). Act 78, SLH 2023 funded a voluntary trauma-informed care certificate for corrections officers (entry below).
- Decertification
- None. Adult corrections officers are not State-certified, so there is no decertification or public list. Under HRS 353-1.5(e), staff may be terminated on criminal record findings only for convictions after May 8, 1989 (or fugitive status) for crimes other than minor traffic violations, where the record shows the person poses a risk.
- Jail standards
- Hawaii has no county-run jails holding pretrial and sentenced people; DCR runs community correctional centers statewide. The Hawaii Correctional System Oversight Commission oversees the system, investigates complaints, and sets “maximum inmate population limits for each correctional facility” (HRS 353L-3(b)). Its oversight coordinator may “enter without notice to inspect the premises of an agency or correctional facility” (353L-7(c), clarified by Act 249, SLH 2025). The restrictive housing law’s definition of correctional facility also reaches “jails maintained by county police departments” (353-41(f)).
- Probation and parole officers
- Parole officers are appointed by the Hawaii Paroling Authority, supervise and investigate parolees, and report monthly (HRS 353-71). Adult probation officers are Judiciary employees. No State certification for either group was found, and neither is a “law enforcement officer” under the Standards Board statute (HRS 139-1).
- Restrictive housing
- HRS 353-41, from Act 292, SLH 2025, applies from July 1, 2026. Placement is allowed only on reasonable cause of a “substantial risk of immediate serious harm,” proven by the facility by clear and convincing evidence, and only when less restrictive interventions are insufficient. The person gets a hearing within 24 hours before an independent hearings officer, with the right to appear and be represented and a written statement of reasons; the warden decides. During lockdowns, placement is limited to 30 consecutive days or 45 days in any 60. No restrictive housing for people 21 or younger, pregnant, postpartum, or recently miscarried; alternative units are used instead. Emergency confinement is capped at 48 hours, with a mental health evaluation within 12 hours. No one may be released directly to the community from restrictive housing in the last 180 days of a sentence. The Oversight Commission reviews placements and monitors any confinement of 20 or more hours a day, and DCR posts quarterly data (HRS 353-41(a) to (f)).
- Corrections use of force
- Restraints on pregnant women during transport: none in the third trimester, during postpartum recovery, or when a physician orders, except in “extraordinary circumstances,” an individualized determination by a corrections officer to prevent escape or injury; never during labor or childbirth; and never leg irons or waist chains on any pregnant woman. Restraints must come off immediately if the treating health professional asks, no correctional personnel may be in the room during labor unless medical staff request it, and the officer must document the facts, the type of restraint, and why it was the least restrictive (HRS 353-122). The statewide use-of-force policy law (Act 190, SLH 2023; HRS 139-10) applies to agencies employing “law enforcement officers,” not DCR.
Changes, 2023 to 2026
Restrictive housing limits take effect
From July 1, 2026, placement in restrictive housing requires reasonable cause of a substantial risk of immediate serious harm, proven by clear and convincing evidence, and a hearing within 24 hours before an independent hearings officer, with representation and written reasons. Lockdown placement is capped at 30 consecutive days or 45 of 60. People 21 or younger, pregnant, postpartum, or recently miscarried may not be placed. Emergency confinement is capped at 48 hours, with an evaluation within 12 hours. Investigative placements need supervisory review within 24 hours by someone not involved. DCR must post quarterly data, the Oversight Commission reviews placements and monitors any cell confinement of 20 or more hours a day, and DCR policies must require “periodic training of disciplinary staff and all other staff who interact with committed persons held in restrictive housing.”
For corrections staff: Every restrictive housing placement now needs documented clear-and-convincing justification and a hearing within 24 hours, and staff who work those units must be trained on the standards.
Correctional facilities barred from most cooperation with civil immigration enforcement
The new chapter’s “law enforcement agency” includes any agency “operating correctional facilities or juvenile detention facilities, or maintaining custody of individuals in correctional facilities or juvenile detention facilities,” so DCR and its officers are covered. No agency or official may enter a 287(g) agreement (8 U.S.C. 1357(g)) or similar arrangement to enforce immigration law. Except as federal or State law requires, agencies and officials may not ask about citizenship or immigration status without a connection to a State or county criminal investigation; answer notification requests from federal immigration authorities; give them non-public personal information in a noncriminal matter; let them interview people in custody about immigration violations without written consent, unless the law or a court order requires it; detain anyone on a hold request; transfer anyone to them without a judicial warrant or judicial finding of probable cause; or lend time, money, facilities, personnel, databases, or other resources to civil immigration enforcement. The act does not bar State-law duties, compliance with a judicial warrant, court order, or subpoena, or information sharing required by law, including under 8 U.S.C. 1373 and 1644. The Hawaii Officer Ledger page lists the act as outside police certification.
For corrections staff: Do not hold anyone on an immigration detainer, give immigration agents release information, or arrange interviews without written consent, absent a judicial warrant, court order, or a legal requirement.
Oversight coordinator may inspect facilities without notice at any time
The Oversight Commission coordinator’s term goes from 2 to 3 years, and the commission may review performance and recommend retention to the Governor. In 353L-7(c), the words tying entry to an investigation are deleted, so “The oversight coordinator may make inquiries and obtain information as the oversight coordinator thinks fit, enter without notice to inspect the premises of an agency or correctional facility, and, in an investigation, hold private hearings.”
For corrections staff: Expect unannounced oversight inspections at any time, not only during an investigation.
Fingerprint background checks extended to volunteers and contract providers
The Legislature found DCR lacked authority to check volunteers and contracted and subcontracted providers. HRS 353-1.5 now requires State and federal fingerprint-based criminal history checks through the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center on staff, prospective staff, volunteers, contract service providers (including student interns), and subcontract service providers. “Prospective staff members, volunteers, contract service providers, and subcontract service providers shall be fingerprinted and the criminal history record check shall be completed before beginning employment, providing contracted services, or volunteering.”
For corrections staff: Contractors, interns, and volunteers must clear fingerprint checks before they work in a facility.
Trauma-informed care certificate program for adult corrections officers
“There shall be established a level I trauma-informed certification program to be placed within the university of Hawaii windward community college for adult corrections officers,” with DCR (then the Department of Public Safety) collaborating. Courses were to be offered in 8- or 16-week blocks in the 2023 to 2024 academic year at no cost to officers, and the certificate requires a Level I trauma-informed care course designed for corrections officers. The legislative findings focus on officers at the Women’s Community Correctional Center.
For corrections staff: The certificate was free and voluntary; it is not a required credential.
Staff and inmate deaths reported within 48 hours and posted by name
Within 48 hours, the director must report to the Governor, who reports to the Legislature, the death of any facility employee who dies on the grounds or on duty or from an on-duty injury, and of any inmate. “Within seven days of the director’s submission of the report to the governor, the department shall post a copy of the report on its public website.” The act deletes the proviso that withheld the decedent’s name when protected from disclosure, and replaces the 30-day clinical review deadline with a report once the official cause of death is determined, including the mortality review and corrective actions. The cause of death and any indication of sexual assault are open to public inspection, with limited exceptions, and coverage extends to inmates in the custody of an agent of a State or contracted facility.
For corrections staff: A staff death on duty, or from an on-duty injury, is reported publicly by name within days.
Enacted, not yet in force, pending, and bills that did not pass
- Restrictive housing working group (Act 292, SLH 2025, sec. 3): recommendations on vulnerable populations due January 8, 2027, and DCR authorized to put the group’s policies and procedures in place by December 1, 2027, per the bill description.
Corrections bills tracked by the Oversight Commission in 2026, including HB 2287 (peer support counseling that would include correctional workers), HB 2288 / SB 3107 (program participation and parole eligibility), HB 1800 / SB 2500, and HB 1516 / SB 2732 (pretrial release), do not appear in the LRB 2026 Acts list and are treated as not enacted; their final status was not checked one by one (HCSOC legislative priorities).
Checked and unchanged
- HRS 353-122 (restraints on pregnant women) dates from L 2011, c 174; no 2023 to 2026 amendment was found.
- Not reviewed: Act 133, SLH 2023 (HB 451, “Relating to Incarcerated Individuals,” amending Act 125, SLH 2022), and the 2025 collective bargaining cost-item acts that may cover Unit 10 (institutional and correctional workers).
- Statute and bill text came from the Legislature’s data host and act numbers and dates from the LRB Acts lists; the main capitol.hawaii.gov site refused the request and was not used.
Bills in the legislature
Bills in the current session whose title concerns corrections officers, jails, probation and parole, and conditions of confinement, found automatically in LegiScan's copy of the legislature's records and refreshed daily (last on October 21, 2026). This list is not reviewed by an editor and is not a summary of the bills; each links to the legislature's own page, which controls. Bills that become law are added to the dated entries above once checked.
- Introduced
SB782: Relating To Youth And Adult Correctional Facilities.
Last action December 8, 2025: Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.. 2026 Regular Session.
- Introduced
HB1376: Relating To Correctional Facilities.
Last action December 8, 2025: Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.. 2026 Regular Session.
- Introduced
HB676: Relating To Youth And Adult Correctional Facilities.
Last action February 12, 2026: Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on CPC with Representative(s) Alcos, Garcia voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0).. 2026 Regular Session.
- Enacted
SCR60: Requesting The Department Of Corrections And Rehabilitation To Provide An Update On The Findings Of The Proof Of Concept Study Titled Breaking Cycles: Alternative Models Of Rehabilitation And Restorative Justice On Oahu.
Last action May 12, 2026: Certified copies of resolutions sent, 05-12-26.. 2026 Regular Session.
The law, section by section
Every section of the statutes and rules this page relies on that could be read from an official source, 96 in all, each linked to the official text. Headings are copied from the official tables of contents, checked October 21, 2026.
Hawaii Revised Statutes, Chapter 353: Corrections and RehabilitationStatute · 89 sections
Official text current through data.capitol.hawaii.gov hrscurrent files (the Legislature's own host of the current HRS); includes Act 292, SLH 2025 (353-41); read 2026-10-21. www.capitol.hawaii.gov returns a Cloudflare block (HTTP 403) to curl; TOC read from the Legislature's own data.capitol.hawaii.gov host of the same hrscurrent files, and section links point there. TOC line breaks joined. Repealed sections and parts omitted (353-2, 353-2.5, 353-3 to 4, 353-13.2, 353-33, 353-36 to 37, 353-81 to 82, 353-91 to 96, 353-102; Parts III and IV are wholly repealed). HRS ch. 353, official text
CHAPTER 353 CORRECTIONS AND REHABILITATION, Part I. Administrative Structure, Institutions, and Services
- 353-1 Definitions; director may delegate powers
- 353-1.2 Director of corrections and rehabilitation; powers and duties
- 353-1.3 Deputy directors; appointment
- 353-1.4 Correctional health care program
- 353-1.5 Criminal history record checks
- 353-5 Offender release recommendations to the court
- 353-6 Establishment of community correctional centers
- 353-6.2 Community correctional centers; periodic reviews of pretrial detainees
- 353-6.5 Gender-responsive, community-based programs for women offenders
- 353-7 High security correctional facility
- 353-8 Conditional release centers for committed persons
- 353-9 Establishment of temporary correctional facilities
- 353-10 Intake service centers
- 353-10.5 Intermediate sanctions; eligibility; criteria and conditions
- 353-11 Access to correctional facilities and records; instituting of inquiries and securing information
- 353-11.5 Restricted access to correctional facilities
- 353-12 Correctional records, documents
- 353-12.5 Public assistance; inmates; monthly reports to department of human services
- 353-13 Examination by medical officer
- 353-13.1 Nonemergency medical, dental, mental health services or treatment; intentional injury; payment by inmates
- 353-13.3 Mental health care
- 353-13.4 Substance abuse testing of inmates
- 353-13.5 Election of private medical or psychological care by prisoners
- 353-13.6 Involuntary medical treatment criteria
- 353-13.7 Initiation of proceeding for involuntary medical treatment
- 353-13.8 Notice; waiver of notice; hearing on petition; waiver of hearing on petition for involuntary medical treatment
- 353-13.9 Hearing on petition
- 353-14 Cash furnished discharged committed person, when
- 353-15 Transfer of committed persons affected with communicable disease
- 353-16 Transfer of committed felon to federal institution
- 353-16.2 Transfer of inmates to out-of-state institutions
- 353-16.3 Development of out-of-state Hawaii correctional facilities
- 353-16.35 Development or expansion of in-state correctional facilities
- 353-16.36 Contracts for construction of correctional facilities by private entities
- 353-16.37 Community partnering
- 353-16.5 Transfer of offenders under treaty; authority of governor
- 353-17 Committed persons, furlough, employment
- 353-18 Director to fix committed persons' compensation
- 353-19 Compensation for labor or training by committed persons
- 353-20 Custody of moneys; accounts for committed persons, etc.
- 353-21 Withdrawals; forfeitures; etc.
- 353-22 Earnings exempt from garnishment, etc.
- 353-22.5 Garnishment to cover nonbudgeted costs
- 353-22.6 Victim restitution
- 353-22.8 Orders for payment of child support
- 353-23 Disposition of property subject to action for damages
- 353-24 Conservators of committed persons, appointed when
- 353-25 Powers and duties of conservator
- 353-26 Removal of conservator
- 353-27 Compensation; expenses
- 353-28 Property given to committed persons
- 353-28.5 Visits from family members
- 353-29 What officials may visit
- 353-30 Others by permission
- 353-31 Revolving funds for correctional facility stores
- 353-32 Gifts
- 353-34 Probation services fee; assessment
- 353-35 Incarcerated parents; data collection
- 353-38 Federal reimbursement maximization special fund
- 353-39 Sexual assaults in prison
- 353-40 Correctional facility and community correctional center deaths; reporting
- 353-41 Restrictive housing; restrictions on use; policies and procedures
CHAPTER 353 CORRECTIONS AND REHABILITATION, Part II. Paroles and Pardons
- 353-61 Hawaii paroling authority; appointment; tenure; qualifications
- 353-62 Hawaii paroling authority; responsibilities and duties; operations; records, reports, staff
- 353-63 Service of Hawaii paroling authority members; compensation; expenses
- 353-63.5 Intermediate sanctions; eligibility; criteria and conditions
- 353-64 Committed persons paroled
- 353-65 Paroles; rules
- 353-65.5 Reports to county clerk
- 353-66 Terms and conditions of parole; suspension and revocation
- 353-66.5 Suspension or revocation; arrest warrants arising from traffic violations
- 353-67 Education as condition for paroles
- 353-68 Parole, how initiated and granted
- 353-69 Parole when
- 353-70 Final discharge
- 353-71 Parole officer and assistant parole officers
- 353-72 Pardons; reference to paroling authority
CHAPTER 353 CORRECTIONS AND REHABILITATION, Part V. Federal and Military Prisoners, Custody of
- 353-101 Authorization to director of corrections and rehabilitation or the appropriate officer and the governor
- 353-103 Validity of existing contracts
CHAPTER 353 CORRECTIONS AND REHABILITATION, Part VI. Pregnant Offenders; Restraints
CHAPTER 353 CORRECTIONS AND REHABILITATION, Part VII. Automated Victim Information and Notification System
- 353-131 Definitions
- 353-132 System; requirements
- 353-133 Satisfaction of victims' rights to notification
- 353-134 Compliance by department; no cause of action
- 353-135 Law enforcement cooperation
- 353-136 Automated victim information and notification system special fund; authorization of payment
- 353-137 Automated victim information and notification system governance committee Note Chapter heading amended by L 1987, c 338, §3(1); L 1989, c 211, §7; L 2022, c 278, §26. Incarcerated parents; forms or questions to ask offenders upon intake; plan for management of data collected and public disclosure of data. L 2015, c 16, §3. Parent-child interaction programs. L 2007, c 250. Cross References Cession of concurrent jurisdiction, see §1-4.5. Criminal offender treatment act, see chapter 353G. Department of public safety, see chapter 353C. Drug demand reduction assessments; special fund, see §706-650. Forensic identification, see chapter 844D. Notice of prisoner escape, see §706-673. Sexual assaults in prison, see §353C-8. Transfer of youth corrections functions, see §352D-4. Case Notes Neither this chapter nor chapter 706 prohibits the Hawaii paroling authority from setting a prisoner's minimum term at a period equal to his or her maximum sentence. 97 H. 183, 35 P.3d 210 (2001). Community correctional center holding unit was not a "facility". 7 H. App. 247, 753 P.2d 816 (1988).
Hawaii Revised Statutes, Chapter 353L: Hawaii Correctional System Oversight CommissionStatute · 7 sections
Official text current through data.capitol.hawaii.gov hrscurrent files (the Legislature's own host of the current HRS); includes Act 292, SLH 2025 (353-41); read 2026-10-21. www.capitol.hawaii.gov returns a Cloudflare block (HTTP 403) to curl; TOC read from the Legislature's own data.capitol.hawaii.gov host of the same hrscurrent files, and section links point there. TOC line breaks joined. Chapter has no parts. HRS ch. 353L, official text
CHAPTER 353L HAWAII CORRECTIONAL SYSTEM OVERSIGHT COMMISSION
- 353L-1 Hawaii correctional system oversight commission; membership; appointment; chairperson; reimbursement of expenses
- 353L-2 Oversight coordinator; appointment; term
- 353L-3 Hawaii correctional system oversight commission; powers and duties
- 353L-4 Powers and duties of the oversight coordinator
- 353L-5 Access to records by oversight coordinator and commission
- 353L-6 Monthly reports; annual reports
- 353L-7 Studies and investigations; procedures
No Hawaii Administrative Rules are listed: the page's At a glance list cites none for corrections.
USCLI's source monitor re-reads the 22 official sources cited on this page around the clock; 0 answered unchanged at their latest check.
Last updated October 21, 2026Source: United States Council for Law & InvestigationCite as: United States Council for Law & Investigation, “Hawaii corrections law: Corrections Ledger,” uscli.org/corrections-tracker/hawaii (last updated October 21, 2026). Text licensed CC BY 4.0.