Public defender’s office wants hundreds more Hawaiʻi inmates released

The Supreme Court is considering the proposed releases to avoid a coronavirus outbreak in correctional facilities.

Hawaiʻi’s highest court is considering the public defender’s request to release hundreds of inmates as the threat of COVID-19 continues to loom over the state’s crowded and outdated correctional facilities, though some prosecutors warn a release en masse would be too risky.

The state public defender’s office provided the Supreme Court a list of 426 inmates who can be released under specific criteria Monday as part of a court order stemming from a petition it filed last week. That includes 137 inmates from the Oʻahu Community Correctional Center, 44 from Kauaʻi, 45 from Maui, 197 from Hilo, and three from the women’s facility on Oʻahu.

“It is inevitable that the virus will spread into jails and prison facilities, and, when that happens, the health and well-being of inmates and staff members will be at tremendous risk,” Hawaiʻi State Public Defender James Tabe wrote in the petition.