DCR News Release – Dedication ceremony for the Women’s Community Correctional Center Expansion Project

DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS AND REHABILITATION

KA 'OIHANA HOʻOMALU KALAIMA A HOʻOPONOPONO OLA

JOSH GREEN, M.D.

GOVERNOR

KE KIAʻĀINA

TOMMY JOHNSON

DIRECTOR

KA LUNA HO'OKELE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sept. 25, 2024

Dedication ceremony for the Women's Community Correctional Center Expansion Project

HONOLULU - Dozens of guests attended a dedication ceremony at the Women's Community Correctional Center (WCCC) Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, to commemorate the facility's expansion project.

The $63 million project that broke ground in July 2021, comprises three new buildings -Administration, Housing and Intake/Visitation - and is the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's (DCR) largest capital improvement project to date.

WCCC also hosted the ceremony to celebrate the newly renovated Ho'okipa Cottage, a $6 million project that include a new multi-purpose building and a renovated structure with a bed capacity of 58 beds for work furlough inmates.

All three new structures and Hoʻokipa are slated to be operational by the end of the year.

Distinguished guests that attended the event include Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR) Director Tommy Johnson, Deputy Director Pamela Sturz of the Correctional Institutions Division, Deputy Director Sanna Muñoz of the Rehabilitation Services and Programs Division and Deputy Director Melanie Martin of the Administration Division.

Wardens, administrators, lawmakers, stakeholders, community organizations and more also attended.

Contractors, architects and consultants involved in the expansion project were recognized for their dedication and hard work.

Lt. Gov. Luke, ceremony guest speaker and staunch supporter of criminal justice reform for female inmates, said, "It takes a commitment from the individuals here and it also takes a commitment from the outside community, the community as a whole, to support these women who have gone through many troubles in their lives."

DCR Director Tommy Johnson, who also addressed attendees at the ceremony, said the changes to WCCC represent "our sincere efforts to provide a positive rehabilitative environment, hope and return dignity to the women housed here while simultaneously improving the working conditions of our staff."

Johnson also thanked the Women's Prison Project and many community groups for their unwavering support to better the lives of inmates and prepare them for reentry into the community.

Kahu Pohālelo Loko'olu Quintero and 'Ihilani Chu of the Hawaiian Church of Hawaiʻi Nei and Chaplain Tammy Turcios conducted the blessing. Seven inmates of the facility's hula halau, Halau Hulu Kamaluokukui, also performed.

Providing space for programs and easing overcrowding at the Oʻahu Community Correctional Center (OCCC) were among DCR's goals for this expansion project. WCCC, the only correctional facility for women in Hawaiʻi, will serve as a hybrid prison and jail facility for female inmates on Oʻahu.

The prison population will be in the new Housing building which has a 176-bed capacity - 64 in each of the two dorm units and 48 in the restrictive housing unit. Pre-trial detainees, sentenced misdemeanants, sentenced felons, sentenced felony probationers and parole violators will be housed at other existing buildings at WCCC.

WCCC Warden Ione "Noni" Guillonta said, "Our aim is not merely to house individuals but to offer them an opportunity for transformation. The facility will be a place where the focus extends beyond punishment to encompass education vocational training, mental health support and reentry preparation."

"We are dedicated to addressing the unique needs of women who face different challenges and required tailored support to rebuild their lives and reintegrate into society successfully," Guillonta added.

The ceremony itself served as training for seven inmates who have been training with staff from 'Ōlelo Community Media and given the opportunity to film and conduct interviews at the event under the guidance of 'Ōlelo.

WCCC is preparing to transfer approximately 120 female inmates from the Oʻahu Community Correctional Center (OCCC) in Kalihi to the women's facility in Kailua. The transfer is expected to take up to eight weeks to complete with approximately 10 to 15 inmates to be transferred at a time. The current population at WCCC is nearly 200 as of Sept. 16, 2024.

The newly renovated Ho'okipa Cottage and construction of an adjacent multi-purpose building will provide a new living environment that will emphasize rehabilitation and provide life skills for a successful transition into the community. Work furlough inmates eligible to be released within one to two years will be housed at Hoʻokipa.

A fact sheet on the WCCC expansion project is attached. Ceremony photos are also available at the following link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1R7wqRNMByyAAfKbjmT8i-v9k7rhWPFb1?usp=sharing.

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Media Contact:

Rosemarie Bernardo

Public Information Officer

Hawai'i Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

Office: 808-587-1358

Cell: 808-683-5507

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://dcr.hawaii.gov

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