Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 25, Number 7, 1 July 2008 — LOCKED UP [ARTICLE]

LOCKED UP

say pa'ahao supporters

Stūries by Liza Simnn Public Affairs Specialist Statistics don't usually trigger emohon, but at last month's conference on pa'ahao convened by OHA at the Pagoda Hotel, there were gripping moments occasioned by these hard numbers on hard time: Recent studies show that Native Hawaiians account for 39 percent of the state's prison population, while they eomprise less than 10 percent of the state's overall populahon. One after another, the loeal experts in prison programs struggled to explain the dismal numbers by pouring out wrenching descriptions of a tragic perfect stonn of cultural loss - mixed in with resulting poverty and limited access to education, jobs and health care - played out in the lives of their Native Hawaiian

clients. Earlier this year, OHA asked the Legislature to pass a resolution to conduct a study on whether ethnicity drives disparities in arrests, prosecutions and sentencing in Hawai'i. The hill didn't get far. But the attendees at the 'Aha Pa'ahao would like to see more polkieal will behind the effort to reduce the alanning stats. They said we should all be concerned, because loeking up so many Hawaiians costs everyone - both taxpayer money and the pain of spiritual loss that happens when a group is prevented from realizing its human potential. They want the puhlie to understand that help for pa'ahao is also intended to heal the entire community. This viewpoint is also shared helow by current and former pa'ahao who talked with KWO about programs where they found hope. S

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