Closing Big Island prison
The Kulani Correctional Facility on the Big Island will be closed as a result of the state's $2.8 billion budget shortfall, according to the Hawai`i Department of Public Safety. The move is expected to save the department about $2.8 million annually. It is costing the state $6 million a year to run the facility, which houses 123 inmates.
Plans call for moving the inmates to other correctional facilities within the department and the Federal Detention Center on O`ahu. Also, the department is working with the Hawai`i Department of Defense to use the land surrounding the facility for a program that caters to at-risk students.
The Hawaii National Guard's Youth Challenge Academy provides at-risk students with an opportunity to turn their lives around. Since 1995, more than 2,500 students have participated in the program.
