H.B. 1197 Summary

• Authorizes the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to utilize student education partnerships to expand clinical psychologists and mental health care providers in correctional facilities statewide.

• Amends Hawaii Revised Statutes Section 353-13.3 to require the department to use student education partnerships as a mechanism for increasing mental health care capacity in community correctional centers.

• Appropriates funds from general revenues for fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 to support and expand clinical psychology training programs within the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (specific dollar amount not included in bill text).

• Addresses Hawaii's prison overcrowding and mental health care needs, noting that the state's correctional system houses approximately 5,100 inmates despite capacity for 3,500, with incarceration costs averaging nearly $80,000 per inmate annually.