Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 11, Number 4, 1 April 1994 — Alu Like programs aim to reform and employ native Hawaiian offenders and ex-offenders [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Alu Like programs aim to reform and employ native Hawaiian offenders and ex-offenders

by Patrick Johnston In the middle of his leave from a loeal correctional facility, Sonny Kealoha (not his real name) ran into kupuna Maria

DeVilla's Alu Like office and threatened to cut off his daughter's fingers. She had stolen his wife's wedding ring. DeVilla sat him down and, in a manner developed from years of dealing with similar outbursts, calmly reminded him of his responsibilities both as a parent and as a member of God's family. In the end, says DeVilla, he was crying, saying that "nobody had ever talked to him like that." He is now gainfully employed, receiving rave reviews from his employer, and his daughter continues to enjoy the use of all ten fingers. Explains DeVilla, a senior member of Alu Like's Kūpuna program, incidents like Kealoha's are clear indications that the needs of native Hawaiian exoffenders are "greater than just the need for a job." In Alu Like's Kūpuna program, native Hawaiian participants from the Offender/Ex-offender project, with the help of a federal block grant, work with Alu Like kūpuna to get counseling and spiritual guidanee. The program has received national recognition from the National Prevention Network and the Federal Department of Heahh and Human Services for its work in correcting some of the root causes of ex-offender behavior. "First of all we pray," DeVilla says, "whether or

not they believe in God. I tell them that they are people of identity, people of worth. ... We release them to God and creator, to reintroduce them to the Lord." Kūpuna also reintroduce ex-offenders to their heritage and use various aspects of Hawaiian culture in their rehabilitation efforts. These include activities such as music, kūkākūkā (discussions) and dance. By enhancing the understanding of their culture kūpuna hope to instill a sense of pride in the exoffender's heritage and add to the overall selfesteem of the individual. Alu Like's Kūpuna project also works with the exoffender's family and tries to reunite the former prisoner with the people he is close to. "The kupuna brings an ex-offender into his family, providing a strong sense of belonging and support," says DeVilla. "Kūpuna support is offered until the individual and his or her significant others feel good about themselves." If the family asks for it, kūpuna will also use ho'oponopono to sort out disputes between family members. DeVilla explains, "Some people would prefer not to bring up unhappy periods in the past but others feel it is important." According to David Kamiyama, Alu Like's Offender/Ex-offender program administrator, the rearrest rate for those involved in the Kūpuna project is only 8 percent. This compares to the state average of 59 percent.

Since 1986, Alu Like has worked closely with the prison system and Hawaiian prisoners through its Offender/Ex-offender project. The project offers pre-employment workshops at prisons across the state teaching prisoners how to fill out applications, make resumes and handle interviews, and helpine them build self-esteem.

"We make them go through moek interviews," says David Kamiyama, project administrator. "We've found that offenders tend to freeze up when their past is brought up and we want to help them leam how to deal with this." After release ffom prison, Alu Like helps the individual find a job or enroll in a school then does a follow-up to try and ensure - especially for the first year - that the individual stays elean. "The re-arrest rate is highest for the first year after release," says Kamiyama. "If we ean keep the offender out for that period then we're ahead of the game." Kamiyama adds that the average re-arrest rate for the state is 59 percent but for those involved in the project it is only 12 percent.