HI HR179

Requests the Department of Public Safety and Department of Accounting and General Services to study the feasibility of establishing a public-private partnership for constructing and operating prisons in Hawaii, with the goal of returning inmates incarcerated on the mainland and closing inefficient state facilities.

Requires the departments to identify specific locations for potential new prisons and hold at least one public hearing in each affected community before designating any site.

Directs the departments to produce a detailed benchmark report comparing estimated construction costs, annual debt service costs, and annual operating costs for a publicly financed and operated prison versus a public-private project.

Mandates submission of a joint report with findings, recommendations, and any proposed legislation to the Legislature no later than twenty days before the convening of the Regular Session of 2012.

Cites the state's prison capacity shortage, aging facility infrastructure, and the potential benefits of job creation and keeping inmates closer to their families and communities as rationale for the study.