HI SB281

Establishes the offense of torture as a class A felony in Hawaii by adding a new section to Chapter 707 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes.

Defines torture to include: (a) knowingly causing serious bodily injury to a person in the actor's custody or physical control; (b) causing serious or substantial bodily injury following a pattern or practice of physical abuse; or (c) subjecting a minor or vulnerable person to specific acts (strangling, biting, branding, burning, cutting, electrocuting, suspending, deprivation of necessities, confinement in unsanitary conditions, forced ingestion of harmful substances, or exposure to extreme temperatures) on three or more occasions within two years.

Specifies that proof of victim suffering is not required for violations involving minors or vulnerable persons under subsection (c).

Provides a defense when deprivation of necessary food, water, or clothing was caused solely by poverty, destitution, or lack of financial means.

Defines key terms including "custody or physical control," "vulnerable person" (family or household members, incompetent persons, or those with certain legal statuses), "minor" (under age 18), and "pattern or practice" (two or more acts within two years with a common state of mind).