Hawaii Supreme Court order mandates quicker release of non-violent inmates

An order issued late Friday by the Hawaii Supreme Court suggests that justices are unhappy with how lower court judges, prosecutors and the state Department of Public Safety have been carrying out the high court’s edict to release more inmates quickly in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

The high court also said Public Safety must ensure all inmates under its authority be issued protective masks. There’s no timetable for providing the equipment, but the court’s language suggests it should be done quickly.

Public Defender James Tabe last month sued the state seeking the expedited early release of hundreds of nonviolent inmates, arguing that Hawaii’s historically overcrowded jails and prisons are not able to meet Centers for Disease Control guidelines for avoiding being infected with COVID-19. While no positive cases have been reported at any of the facilities, inmate advocates warn it’s only a matter of time and point to situations that have exploded on the U.S. mainland.

The high court last week mandated that the Department of the Attorney General, the Office of the Public Defender, the Hawaii Paroling Authority and county prosecutors work to release as many nonviolent offenders from Hawaii’s eight jails and prisons as quickly as possible, but required that requests for inmate releases be taken up by judges on a case-by-case basis.

Read more: https://www.staradvertiser.com/2020/04/26/hawaii-news/hawaii-supreme-court-order-mandates-quicker-release-of-non-violent-inmates/