HB 1295 Summary

• Establishes a temporary Commission on Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform within the Governor's Office, operating until June 30, 2019.

• Commission shall develop a statewide plan to reduce Hawaii's incarcerated population, cut corrections spending, and reinvest savings into public safety and recidivism reduction strategies.

• Commission membership includes 16 members: the Chief Justice (chair), judiciary and corrections officials, legislators, prosecutors, public defenders, academics, Native Hawaiian representatives, and former prison inmates.

• Commission must review sentencing policies including mandatory minimums, habitual offender statutes, probation and parole systems, and evaluate housing, job training, and rehabilitation programs for current and former inmates.

• Commission shall report findings and recommendations, including proposed legislation, to the legislature no later than 20 days before the 2019 regular session; the Act takes effect September 1, 2017.