Hālawa Correctional Facility Proof of Concept Study

Hālawa Correctional Facility Proof of Concept Study June 2024

Prepared for: Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation By: The University of Hawaiʻi Community Design Center

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Hālawa Correctional Facility Proof of Concept Report

Table of Contents 1.0 Executive Summary

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2.0 Methods

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2.1 Project Genealogy

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2.2 Our Process 17 2.3 Design Toolkit

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2.4 Preliminary Schemes

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3.0 Proof of Concept Designs

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3.1 A kīpuka for all

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3.2 Normalize the pedestrian experience

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3.3 Restore wellbeing through health and recreation

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4.0 Recommendations

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Acknowledgements

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Acknowledgements We would like to thank the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for this opportunity, especially Director Tommy Johnson, Wayne Takara, Terry Visperas, and Hal Alejandro for their guidance and support throughout this continuously evolving process.

Special thanks to Warden Shannon Cluney at the Hālawa Correctional Facility (HCF) and his staff, Correctional Industries, and Aaron Ackerman from Bowers & Kubota.

Project Team: Cathi Ho Schar FAIA, Associate Professor, Principal Investigator Creesha Layaoen, Research Associate Dean Matsumura, Research Associate Jonathan “Malu” Stanich, Research Associate Kiana Dai, Student Assistant Kaylen Daquioag, Student Assistant Thanh Nguyen, Student Assistant Haixin Ruan, Student Assistant Kaimana Tuazon, Student Assistant Hannah Angelika Valencia, Student Assistant

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Hālawa Correctional Facility Proof of Concept Report

1.0 Executive Summary Introduction

In 2017, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (formerly known as the Department of Public Safety), contracted the University of Hawaiʻi Community Design Center (UHCDC) to co-develop a Strategic Sustainability Master Plan for correctional facilities statewide. UHCDC gathered teams from the School of Architecture, College of Engineering, and Social Science Research Institute to work in collaboration with a separately-contracted professional team led by Bowers & Kubota (BK). The outcomes of this planning effort led to three research reports prepared by UHCDC and this proof of concept study for the Hālawa Correctional Facility. This proof of concept study applies the findings from planning, research, and engagement to the design of three underutilized spaces within the prison as pilots for healing-center facility improvements.

Overview

The Hālawa Correctional Facility (HCF) is a medium security prison that houses a little under 900 incarcerated individuals and employs approximately 200 correctional staff. HCF sits on a 31-acre lot near Kamanaiki Stream in the upper part of Hālawa Valley.

HCF is made up of two facilities: the medium security

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WA I A L U A

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facility (MCF) which was built and opened in 1987 and the special needs facility (SNF), the former City and County Jail, which originally opened in 1961 and

was transferred to the State in 1975.1 These facilities are located at 99-902 Moanalua Road, ʻAiea, Hawaiʻi, 96701.

Context

The facility is situated in Hālawa in the easternmost ahupua‘a of the moku (or kalana) of ‘Ewa. Before the introduction of Western values, ideas of land ownership, as well as commercial endeavors of the 19th century, Hālawa was centered around the natural resource and wahi pana of Pu‘uloa (Pearl Harbor), with its extensive shoreline and estuaries that were home to numerous loko i‘a (fishponds) and lo‘i kalo

(pondfield complexes).2 Hālawa was known for its abundance in resources and ancient sites. The valley’s landscape included varieties of upland kalo, ʻawa groves, medicinal herbs, feathers for cloaks, and pili grass for thatched homes, and dozens of fishponds.

It was also dotted with ancient temples, house sites, cave burials, and a number of sites associated with royalty.3

The current boundaries of the Hālawa ahupuaʻa extends from Ford Island Bridge, northeast along the ridge line between ‘Aiea and Hālawa Heights neighborhoods, to the top of the Koʻolau Mountains, parallel to the H-3 highway to the corner of Moanalua Ahupuaʻa, then southwest through Moanalua Freeway and includes the ʻewa end of the Honolulu International Airport “reef runway.” 4

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Halawa Correctional Facility

KONA HALAWA

Figure 1. Image of ‘Oahu and Hālawa.

Today, Hālawa encompasses Hālawa Valley, ʻAiea, Crosspointe, Hālawa Heights, Foster Village, Waimalu, Salt Lake, Puuwai Momi and Pearlridge. These neighborhoods consist of various residential housing types (condominium, low-density, public, military),

Executive Summary

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Figure 2. Image of wahi pana in the Hālawa Ahupuaʻa. Adapted from Kamehameha Schools.

and high-density commercial buildings.5 The nearby Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Camp Smith, and Red Hill Fuel Tanks represent the high level of military use in the area. Several large projects including the Aloha Stadium redevelopment and the relocation of the Oʻahu Community Correctional Center will continue to shape the region in the next decade and could present opportunities for alignments with HCF.

Hālawa Correctional Facility Population

HCF is the largest prison facility in the State of Hawaiʻi that houses general population inmates. A portion of that population is sent to the Saguaro Correctional Center, a multi-level security facility in Arizona that is contracted to house inmates from DCR.6 The Saguaro facility only accepts individuals who meet

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Hālawa Correctional Facility Proof of Concept Report

certain behavioral requirements, leaving HCF with a population of men with behavioral risk factors and those who are en route to or from Arizona. These men are kept closer to their families, however they are subject to harsher physical conditions, more acute staffing shortages, and access to significantly fewer programs.

The majority of the Hālawa Correctional Facility population is part Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (55.8%).7

Figure 3. Image showing landforms and existing buildings of the Hālawa Ahupuaʻa.

This over representation of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders remains consistent throughout Hawaiʻi’s criminal justice and correctional system.

Numerous task forces have called for a new vision for corrections that supports traditional Hawaiian cultural practices and restores individuals to their families,

community, and the land (ʻāina).8 This proof of concept study explores how small pilot projects can begin to embed this into an existing facility.

Property

The 31-acre property is zoned as Residential District (R-5) and is adjacent to other zones such as Intensive Industrial (I-2), General Agriculture (AG2), and Restricted Preservation (P-1). The property abuts undeveloped hillside owned by the Queen

Emma Foundation, leased by Hawaiian Cement to the North and industrial properties to the South.9

Hillside blasting at the nearby quarry causes periodic seismic disturbances.10 The Medium Security Facility

(MCF) consists of four (4) living modules, a Special Housing Unit (SHU), an infirmary, and support entities that include Correctional Industries, Food Service, Chapel Services, a Learning Center and an indoor Gymnasium. Each module houses approximately 100 individuals, within an 80 square foot cell, typically shared by two individuals.

Executive Summary

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Focus Areas

As a result of their strategic planning process, Bowers & Kubota selected the HCF facility and three underutilized sites within it, for this proof of concept study. The three focus areas are shown and described below.

Visitation Yard The visitation yard is a triangular open air courtyard adjacent to the facility’s entrance. Currently, the visitation yard is not in use because contact visits have not resumed. There are over 20 visitation windows and 4 concrete picnic tables in the space. The planters in the yard are overgrown with weeds. The grass in the center is dead. The trees are surviving. There is no security screen above the courtyard to completely secure the area, however the courtyard is fully visible from the observation tower.

Main Street Main Street is the primary thoroughfare within the facility, which runs along the center of the campus, dividing it into two halves: the programs and services building to the West and the housing modules to the East. Along the thoroughfare, large landscape areas abutting the buildings remain mostly barren with a few ti leaf plants as the exception. Some of these areas are prone to flooding.

Recreation Field The recreation field is located at the easternmost part of the property at the end of Main Street. It is currently not used because the security fence needs repairs. A new fence project is currently in the design phase, which will secure a small part of the area. The concrete ball courts connected to each module are the only other recreational space that the men have access to.

Figure 4. Hālawa site plan with focus areas highlighted.

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Hālawa Correctional Facility Proof of Concept Report

Executive Summary 10

Methods

Prior to this UHCDC HCF-focused work, Bowers & Kubota engaged every correctional facility warden and staff to identify future capital improvement projects based on immediate needs and longer term plans. UHCDC continued this engagement with HCF, with multiple meetings with the HCF warden, staff, incarcerated men, members of Bowers & Kubota, Correctional Industries, and DCR. This feedback was used to develop design principles that were then applied to the final proof of concept designs for the project.

The principles are: • Start with low intensity, low maintenance projects that can succeed.

• Introduce spaces that support cultural values, knowledge, and practices, especially through art and music.

• Jointly invest in the health and wellbeing of staff and incarcerated individuals.

• Bring families together in environments designed for keiki and kūpuna.

• Create educational, productive, and performative landscapes that offer learning and job training opportunities.

Figure 5. Rendering of the Visitation Yard.

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Hālawa Correctional Facility Proof of Concept Report

Proof of Concept Designs

This proof of concept study applies the findings from planning, research, and engagement to the design of three underutilized spaces within the prison to enhance rehabilitation of residents and wellness of staff.

Figure 6. Rendering of Main Street.

Visitation Yard The visitation yard is an unused, completely enclosed, and secure outdoor space that was re-envisioned as a "kīpuka" or refuge for staff and residents. Murals, loʻi, lāʻau lapaʻau plants, seating, and a stage area support self-reflection and expression, and connections to ʻohana, ʻāina, and akua in a safe and maintainable setting.

Main Street The main street proof of concept design focuses on normalizing the pedestrian experience for the HCF men, as this is the central open space used to access most of the spaces within the facility. Improvements to the main street include re-purposing the barren existing planters with bioswales to help retain water and reduce flooding. The planters would be planted with several low-maintenance plants that also have historical and cultural significance. The design and

maintenance of these native bioswales would provide incarcerated individuals with the opportunity to develop skills in sustainable landscaping.

Recreation Field The recreation field has long been an underutilized area of interest for HCF, which has been waiting on funds to replace the perimeter fence. With the fence work underway, this proof of concept design proposes simple performance, sporting, gathering, and reflecting areas that allow staff and individuals to strengthen their physical, mental, and social skills.

hire a design-build team for implementation, host staff family events in the new visitation courtyard to inaugurate the new space, strategically reintroduce family contact visits for eligible incarcerated persons, and with success, expand to other underutilized spaces. There are examples and evidence of the positive impact of these types of spaces in Hawaiʻi and across the nation, to support these small investments that enhance the wellbeing of everyone living and working in the facility.

Phase 1 looks at the area within the proposed new fence line, and proposed a Hawaiian Star Compass stage, an exercise equipment area, a medicinal garden, Mamaki grove, and a continuous walking path.

Phase 2 would expand and provide additional types of spaces that promote health and recreation.

Figure 7. Rendering of the Recreation Field.

Conclusion

The visitation courtyard and main street improvements were identified as priorities for the facility.

Recommendations for next steps include: research other art and mural programs and partners, request appropriations for healing-centered proof of concept projects in the prison, develop maintenance criteria,

Executive Summary 12

2.0 Methods

2.1 Project Genealogy

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Cultural Competence Study, Social Enterprise Study, Engineering Waste Study

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Strategic planning engagement of all 8 facilities, selection of Proof of Concept site

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Hālawa Correctional Facility Proof of Concept Design

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Strategic Sustainability Master Plan

Figure 8. Project genealogy.

Our work was to align and dovetail with the Strategic Sustainability Master Planning work of Bowers & Kubota.

This proof of concept work for HCF is connected to UHCDC studies that were completed between 2018 and 2020, all intended to support the Strategic Sustainability Master Plan led by Bowers & Kubota.

The UHCDC’s social enterprise study identified bee-keeping as a low cost, high-yield option for new programs. The waste and recycling study produced diverse recommendation specific to each facility. The cultural competence study resulted in a framework that looked at agency alignment, community partnership, equitable representation, holistic health, and relationship-building as core goals.

In parallel to this UHCDC work, Bowers & Kubota engaged wardens and staff at all eight facilities to solicit information and perspectives to identify near, mid, and longer term capital improvement projects for each facility and for the system. See the engagement diagram (Figure 9).

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Hālawa Correctional Facility Proof of Concept Report

The information that Bowers & Kubota collected from this process, through meetings and surveys, led to the identification of HCF as the focus of this proof of concept design work. The areas within the facility were also pre-selected by Bowers & Kubota, based on their communications with the HCF team.

UHCDC PROOF OF CONCEPT DESIGN

CULTURAL PRACTITIONER

WARDEN CORRECTIONAL INDUSTRIES

INCARCERATED INDIVIDUALS STAFF CORRECTIONAL INDUSTRIES

STAFF

WARDEN

CORRECTIONAL INDUSTRIES

WARDEN

HĀLAWA CORRECTIONAL FACILITY KAUAʻI COMMUNITY CORRECTIONAL CENTER

STAFF

WOMEN’S COMMUNITY CORRECTIONAL CENTER

CORRECTIONAL INDUSTRIES

STAFF

MAUI COMMUNITY CORRECTIONAL CENTER

WARDEN

WAIAWA CORRECTIONAL FACILITY

BOWERS + KUBOTA

CORRECTIONAL INDUSTRIES

WARDEN

STAFF

HAWAIʻI COMMUNITY CORRECTIONAL CENTER

STAFF

WARDEN

KULANI CORRECTIONAL FACILITY OʻAHU COMMUNITY CORRECTIONAL CENTER

CORRECTIONAL INDUSTRIES

CORRECTIONAL INDUSTRIES

WARDEN

STAFF

STAFF

WARDEN

CORRECTIONAL INDUSTRIES

Figure 9. Diagram of engagement.

Methodology 16

2.2 Our Process

Figure 10. Image of HCF residents engaging with the workshop boards. Photo Credit: Bowers & Kubota

Building on UHCDC’s Cultural Competence Study, Social Enterprise Study, Engineering Waste Study and Bowers & Kubota’s strategic and planning work.

for correctional planning and design. This framework

The proof of concept designs for the three focus

On August 9, 2022, UHCDC met with Hālawa warden

from multiple research efforts. The first research

priorities and perspectives.

with cultural practitioners, scholars, and leaders to

Hālawa Workshop II, Summer 2022

areas are based on design principles that emerged process began in 2018, with a series of interviews

develop a cultural competence framework and toolkit

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Hālawa Correctional Facility Proof of Concept Report

and toolkit provided foundational self awareness,

knowledge, and tools to develop the process and outcomes of this work.

Hālawa Workshop I, Summer 2022

and staff members to visit the site and understand

UHCDC hosted a second workshop on August 11,

2022 with Bowers & Kubota, their biophilic consultant, Correctional Industries, and DCR. Participants

brainstormed potential programming and design

strategies for each focus area, and then ranked them

through dot voting. These ideas were then synthesized into 2-3 conceptual designs for each area, 10 total.

UHCDC presented these designs to HCF staff on July 10, 2023, which included the warden, facility superintendent, and chief of security.

Workshop with Kumu Malina, Fall 2022 Kumu Malina Kaulukukui, a social worker, cultural practitioner, and kumu hula who taught women to dance at the Women’s Community Correctional

Center, joined the team to share her insights on the design of these spaces for cultural practices and healing.

Hālawa Workshop III, Summer 2023

A third workshop was held on August 2, 2023 with

the HCF warden and 9 incarcerated individuals who shared their stories and perspectives, as well as

feedback on desired life skills, job skills, program incentives, and what they need most to succeed.

The warden generously hosted this over a three hour

period, which allowed the team to use sorting cards for

about contraband. The desire for spaces that promote culture, art, and music is shared by staff and incarcerated men. Same for health and wellbeing.

There was also interest in learning about technology and sustainability to be better prepared for the outside world and to be able to give back in meaningful ways.

All this led to the development of the following design principles for this project.

Design Principles: 1. Start with low intensity, low maintenance projects that can succeed.

2. Introduce spaces that support cultural values, knowledge, and practices, especially through art and music.

3. Jointly invest in the health and wellbeing of staff and incarcerated individuals.

4. Bring families together in environments designed for keiki and kūpuna.

5. Create educational, productive, and performative landscapes that offer learning and job training opportunities.

small group conversations, dot votes for prioritizing, and sticky notes for brainstorming. This data was aggregated and documented anonymously.

Insights

The team engaged the men to develop understandings, not research findings. What the team understood, from the 9 men, was that family came to the top of their priority lists. The most powerful and raw moments in these conversations relate to family. Family visits, however, are something universally supported by the staff, due to concerns

Methodology 18

2.3 Design Toolkit

Figure 11. Catalog of program diagrams.

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Hālawa Correctional Facility Proof of Concept Report

Methodology 20

2.4 Preliminary Schemes

Native Garden

Agricultural Greenhouse

Cultural Landscape

Agricultural Farm

Productive Avenue Figure 12. Catalog of preliminary schemes.

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Hālawa Correctional Facility Proof of Concept Report

Wellness Courtyard

Family Playscape

Sustainability Campus

Health and Recreation Landscape

Painted Main Street

Methodology 22

3.0 From punitive to healingcentered.

3.1 A kīpuka for all.

The visitation courtyard is re-imagined as a wellness courtyard, or a kīpuka, used by correctional staff, incarcerated individuals, and family members of both, to reconnect individuals to their inner selves, each other, their ʻohana, their culture, and their place. As an unused, enclosed, and secure space, improvements to the visitation courtyard would not disrupt operation or require additional security.

[Hawaiian Dictionary, Pukui] kī.puka (n.)

1. Variation or change of form (puka, hole), as a calm place in a high sea, deep place in a shoal, opening in a forest, openings in cloud formations, and especially a clear place or oasis within a lava bed where there may be vegetation.

Figure 13. Visitation Yard concept plan.

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Hālawa Correctional Facility Proof of Concept Report

Proof of Concept Designs 26

“In the Hawaiian mind, a sense of place was inseparably linked with selfidentity and self esteem.”

- George Kanahele

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Hālawa Correctional Facility Proof of Concept Report

The square planters would be re-purposed for kalo beds, other planting areas would be dedicated to lāʻau lapaʻau plants, lei making trees, and a small performance or gathering area. The space could be used by incarcerated individuals only, incarcerated individuals and their family members, staff only, or staff and their family members.

Figure 14. Rendering of mural in the visitation yard.

Hālawa is a blank canvas.

The courtyard is enclosed by tall, unpainted concrete walls. The wall facing the visitation windows would feature a mural depicting the cultural history of Hālawa Valley or other themes, collaboratively conceptualized by artists and HCF men. Partnerships with individual artists, State Foundation for Culture and the Arts, POWWOW!, or UH, and joint applications for external grants and donor support, would open up alternative sources of funding for labor and materials.

Figure 15. Current wall in the visitation yard.

Proof of Concept Designs 28

“When you mālama ‘āina, you mālama yourself.”

- Interviewee

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Hālawa Correctional Facility Proof of Concept Report

Figure 16. Rendering of loʻi planters in the visitation yard.

Start small to succeed.

The planters would allow the men to care for a manageable amount of loʻi, to demonstrate that care and maintenance could be sustained, before expanding. The grass could be installed as artificial turf to address maintenance limitations.

Figure 17. Current view at the entrance.

Proof of Concept Designs 30

“Sense of place begins with family.” - Interviewee

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Hālawa Correctional Facility Proof of Concept Report

Figure 18. Rendering of the performance stage in visitation yard.

Support family relationships.

The design proposes an informal stage area, where storytellers, magicians, or singers might come for a family day or where cultural and spiritual rituals might take place.

Figure 19. Current view of the grass area.

Proof of Concept Designs 32

Reports show that correctional officers have a life span of 12-14 years less than the average individual.11

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Hālawa Correctional Facility Proof of Concept Report

Figure 20. Rendering of the staff meeting space in the visitation yard.

Research data shows high rates of trauma, depression, anxiety, divorce, and suicide amongst correctional officers, as well as significantly decreased life spans. As a kīpuka, the courtyard would be reserved for staff at different times of day, to provide respite, alleviate stress, and reduce absences and vacancies.

Figure 21. Current view facing the windows.

Proof of Concept Designs 34

3.2 Normalize the pedestrian experience.

Main Street is a wide concrete avenue separating two continuous concrete buildings. Men circulate up and down this street to access education, food, or health services. The corridor is envisioned with bioswales filled with native plants and painted graphics that soften the only “civic” open space that the men experience day-to-day. The native plants included are pili grass, kalo, ʻilima, and loulu. All of these plants have historical, cultural significance and uses and can help inmates learn and connect to places.

Figure 22. Main Street concept plan.

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Hālawa Correctional Facility Proof of Concept Report

1

2

3

Proof of Concept Designs 36

“Mohala i ka wai, ka maka o ka pua. Flowers thrive where there is water, as thriving people are found where living conditions are good.”- ‘Olelo No‘eau

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Hālawa Correctional Facility Proof of Concept Report

Figure 23. Rendering of Main Street.

From control to wayfinding.

The painted ti leaf lei is meant to be a supportive environmental graphic rather than a punitive one. The ti leaf symbolizes blessings, protection, appreciation, and respect. A different re-imagining of the yellow line could also be developed through a partnership with an artist and painted with the help of HCF men.

Figure 24 . Current view of Main Street.

Proof of Concept Designs 38

Sustainable practice programs reduce environmental impacts while also providing opportunities for practical training and skills.12

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Hālawa Correctional Facility Proof of Concept Report

Figure 25. Rendering of the bioswales in Main Street.

Learning about green infrastructure.

The empty planter areas would be used as bioswales to retain water, and to support low maintenance flood tolerant native plants. This could be integrated into a sustainability program that teaches native landscaping and green infrastructure.

Figure 26. Current view of the planters.

Proof of Concept Designs 40

Studies have shown that art and photographs displaying nature scenes help in the reduction of stress, blood pressure, pain management in prison staff and inmates.13

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Hālawa Correctional Facility Proof of Concept Report

Figure 27. Rendering of the cafeteria entrance.

Humanize the built environment through art.

Certain entries could be painted and color coded to help break up the continuous concrete walls, and to help distinguish one part of the facility from the others. For example, the kalo leaves and green entryways were shown for the cafeteria area.

Proof of Concept Designs 42

3.3 Restore wellbeing through health and recreation.

The Recreation Field consists of programs and spaces that encourage individuals to be active and healthy by taking an approach that connects these aspects in a continuous loop. Further demonstrating the importance of healing and connection, spaces such as performance, sporting, gathering, and reflecting areas, are provided to give individuals opportunities to strengthen their physical, mental, and social skills in an outdoor setting.

The first phase of the Recreation Landscape looks at the smaller section within the proposed new fence line. This section would include a small natural amphitheater, a Hawaiian Star Compass stage for music and other performances, an exercise equipment area shown in blue, an area for a medicinal garden, a Mamaki Grove, and a continuous walking path for exercise. These are all envisioned as low maintenance outdoor spaces that would only require weed whacking. Perhaps the inmates that contribute to the maintenance of the recreation field are the ones that get more free time to enjoy them.

The second phase looks at the rest of the recreation field area, and proposed smaller areas for different kinds of recreational activities. These include a small gathering circle for socializing, a pickleball court, a piko area for Makahiki type of activities, a maze based on Catholic rituals, a hale building area, a short track, and a basketball court.

All of these amenities would also be used by correctional staff, and provide an incentive to come to work.

Figure 28. Recreation Field concept plan.

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Hālawa Correctional Facility Proof of Concept Report

Proof of Concept Designs 44

Research suggests that prison arts programs have a correlation between positive behavioral changes, selfconfidence, motivation, and self-discipline.14

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Hālawa Correctional Facility Proof of Concept Report

Figure 29. Rendering of the recreation field entrance.

A place for performing arts.

This is a view of the entry/transition area right when entering the recreation field. This field would include an amphitheater to fit 100 or so individuals and a stage, with the large concrete wall as a backdrop (shown here with a mural). This could be a space for the guest performers and concerts.

Figure 30. Current view of the recreation field.

Proof of Concept Designs 46

“Findings suggest that prison-based exercise programs constitute a feasible and useful strategy for improving the physical and mental health status of prisoners”15

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Hālawa Correctional Facility Proof of Concept Report

Figure 31. Rendering of the outdoor gym in the recreation field.

Healthy bodies, healthy minds.

In this scheme, there could be exercise equipment installed around the circle allowing people to do cycles or rotations.

Figure 32 . Current view of the recreation field.

Proof of Concept Designs 48

4.0 Recommendations

This can actually work.

Figure 33. Beach mural at Maunawili Cottage at the Women’s Community Correctional Center. L-R (Ginny Braden (artist), Dana Makekau, Jessica Hinebaugh, Kiana Klima, Bill Braden (artist))

“I draw, I paint, I create, I inspire.” - Kiana Kalima, Women’s

assisted the artists and during the process, learned how to use paints, blend colors and textures to create paintings that have become a source of inspiration for

In November 2023, two murals were unveiled at the Women’s Community Correctional Center (WCCC) in Kailua. The murals were a result of a collaboration

Next Steps

effort was initiated by the Women’s Prison Project (WPP), and was funded by donations from WPP members, with materials donated by Hardware Hawaiʻi in Kailua and the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR) in hopes of promoting tranquility and liveliness to WCCC. Four residents

•

Community Correctional Center artist

between local artists and WCCC residents.16 This

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Hālawa Correctional Facility Proof of Concept Report

themselves and others.17

Here are our preliminary recommendations for the next steps to advance the visitation courtyard project:

•

Research other art/mural programs in corrections, select willing local partners, and develop a program that integrates inmates into the conceptualization and painting of a mural in the visitation yard.

If there is interest in doing this at all facilities,

•

•

•

•

•

•

request an appropriation for healing-centered proof of concept projects in every facility, in line with the transitioning of the department.

Appropriation to include design, construction, and assessment. Partners might pursue a grant for this. A single small mural (depending on the condition of the wall) can be done for $10K, more would be needed to develop a program for this. An estimate would be needed for the landscape work.

If this is on DCR’s agenda, message the proposed improvements to stakeholders to build political will

and support for the project, for example, in the DCR newsletter, social media, or hearings. People appreciate hearing about positive healing-based projects led by DCR. Develop maintenance criteria for the visitation yard that ensures that designs consider landscapes that are feasible to maintain via a workline or with existing maintenance staff.

Hire a design-build team to design the courtyard.

Explore opportunities for incarcerated persons to assist with building and landscaping.

Host staff family events to inaugurate the new courtyard space. Provide HCF staff with something to be proud of at their workplace.

Strategically integrate programmatic use of the space by incarcerated persons. Start with those who successfully participated in the mural or landscape efforts. Allow individuals who choose to participate in other programs to use the visitation courtyard (lāʻau lapaʻau, lei making, hula, yoga/ meditation, etc.)

If contact visits resume, strategically re-introduce family visits for eligible incarcerated persons, ensuring that all security measures are still in place.

2 “Hālawa Ahupuaʻa,” Kamehameha Schools, accessed February 3, 2024, https://www.ksbe.edu/assets/site/special_section/regions/ewa/Halau_o_ Puuloa_Halawa.pdf.

3 Manalo-Camp, Adam Keawe. “Through the Eyes of Hālawa.” Ka Wai Ola, November 1, 2022. https://kawaiola.news/moomeheu/through-the-eyes-ofhalawa/.

4 “Hālawa Ahupuaʻa,” Kamehameha Schools.

5 “Hālawa Area - Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Plan: Existing Conditions Report,” City and County of Honolulu, 2015, https://www.honolulu. gov/rep/site/dpptod/Halawa_docs/Final_Existing_Conditions_Report_112515_ low.pdf.

6 “Saguaro Correctional Center,” Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, 2012, https://dps.Hawaiʻi.gov/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/ PSD-WEBSITE-INFORMATION-POSTING-FOR-AZ1.pdf.

7 Ibid.

8 “The Native Hawaiian Justice Task Force Report - Oha.org.” Accessed October 16, 2019. https://www.oha.org/wp-content/uploads/2012NHJTF_ REPORT_FINAL_0.pdf.

9 “City and County of Honolulu, HI.” qPublic.net - City and County of Honolulu, HI - Report: 990100300000. Accessed February 16, 2024. https://qpublic.schneidercorp.com/Application aspx?AppID=1045&LayerID=23342&PageTypeID=4&Page ID=9746&KeyValue=990100300000.

10 Thompson, David. “Field Guide: Honolulu behind Bars.” Honolulu Magazine, October 13, 2020. https://www.honolulumagazine.com/field-guidehonolulu-behind-bars/ 11 Hart, Dionne. “Health Risks of Practicing Correctional Medicine.”

AMA Journal of Ethics 21, no. 6 (June 1, 2019). https://doi.org/10.1001/ amajethics.2019.540.

12 “Sustainability in Prisons Project 2023 Annual Report.” Sustainability in Prisons, 2023. http://sustainabilityinprisons.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/ SPP-2020-Full-Annual-Report.pdf.

13 Farbstein, Jay, PhD, FAIA, Melissa Farling, AIA, LEED AP, and Richard Wener, PhD. “Effects of a Simulated Nature View on Cognitive and PsychoPhysiological Responses of Correctional Officers in a Jail Intake Area”.

Washington, DC: National Institute of Corrections, 2009.

14 Brewster, Larry. “The Impact of Prison Arts Programs on Inmate Attitudes and Behavior: A Quantitative Evaluation.” Justice Policy Journal 11, no. 2 (2014). https://www.cjcj.org/media/import/documents/brewster_prison_arts_ final_formatted.pdf.

15 Sanchez-Lastra, Miguel Adriano & de Dios, Vicente & Ayán, Carlos.

(2019). Effectiveness of Prison-Based Exercise Training Programs: A Systematic Review. Journal of Physical Activity and Health. 16. 1-14. 10.1123/ jpah.2019-0049.

16 Ordonio, Cassie. “Oʻahu Prison Debuts Transformative Murals Painted

by Inmates and Local Artists.” Hawaiʻi Public Radio, November 10, 2023. https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/local-news/2023-11-08/oahu-prison-debutstransformative-murals-painted-by-inmates-and-local-artists.

17 “PSD News Release – WCCC & Women’s Prison Project Unveil New

Endnotes

1 “State of Hawaiʻi Department of Correction and Rehabilitation Annual Report 2023.” Department of Public Safety - Hawaii.gov. Accessed February 10, 2024. https://dps.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/PSD-ANNUAL-

Wall Murals.” PSD NEWS RELEASE – WCCC & Women’s Prison Project unveil new wall murals. Accessed February 16, 2024. https://governor.hawaii. gov/main/psd-news-release-wccc-womens-prison-project-unveil-new-wallmurals/.

REPORT-2023.pdf.

Conclusion 52