HI SCR146

Request the Judicial Council to appoint a committee to review the Hawaii Penal Code and recommend revisions to ensure sentences are fair and proportionate to crimes committed, with particular attention to sections basing culpability on dollar amounts.

Committee membership shall include 15 types of representatives including judiciary, legislature, Attorney General, prosecutors, public defender, police, economists, psychologists, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, private citizens, defense attorneys, corrections, and victim and prisoner advocacy groups, with at least one member from each county.

Committee shall review the Model Penal Code, other state criminal codes, and the "Justice Reinvestment in Hawaii" report to assess whether offense grades and punishments are appropriate, cost-effective, and provide equal justice regardless of socioeconomic class or ethnicity.

Committee members serve without compensation but may be reimbursed for mileage, parking, and neighbor island transportation costs; committee members are exempt from Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 84 conflict of interest provisions.

Judicial Council must submit findings, recommendations, and proposed legislation to the Governor and Legislature no later than 20 days before the 2016 Regular Session convening.