I was once a prisoner in the Hawaii Department of Public Safety and now I am Free.
Throughout my prison time I was discriminated against on a daily basis by prisoners and staff. I was threatened with false disciplinary charges and harassed by Halawa Correctional Facility Staff members for excersizing my First Amendment Constitutional Rights to Freedom of speech by posting writings of my prison experiences on the HawaiiPrisonReform.com website. Let it be known , I will not, now, bow to 'Us' , nor will I be silent for 'them'.
I will continue to write about the totalitarian forces that make positive development unlikely or impossible for the nearly 87% of those prisoners who represent the current recidivism rate, and either to suggest possible solutions or to point in directions where solutions may be found. The present actions by prison officials to discredit me, as well as the resulting deprivations, have had a curious and unexpected effect upon me that is difficult to describe. There is a small ripple in the quiet pool at the very heart of my soul wherein resides my tiny, but much cherished and hard-learned , reserve of acquiescence. Resolute in my belief that my actions are correct and that writing of my experiences is a responsibility that I cannot shirk, my friends and family, who now share my deprivation , should see in that ripple a bubble of joy that is found in my recognition that we possess the strength to accept the consequences of doing the 'right thing'. At the same time, those who are the instruments of that deprivation may want to give that phenomenon a more primal consideration; approach that pool as would an antelope of the African Savannah approach a water-hole....grateful for it's thirst quenching contents, yet ever so aware that a ripple could indicate something moving ominously below the surface.

From the perspective of a prisoner on the inside looking out. Use of the words 'rehabilitation' and 'prison reform' in the news has been a glimpse of hope. Granted prison by design is supposed to be a controlled environment. But, the stark reality of the world I lived in at Halawa Correctional Facility for ten years is extremely oppressive and insidious to say the least. Not only have I been down in the trenches fighting for my rights to a better life after prison. I along with my family and friends have made tremendous sacrifices to advocate for the rights of every man, woman, and child warehoused in these facilities. HawaiiPrisonReform.com is a free resource for prisoners, their families, and the community to post articles, editorials, commentary, information, and complaints about the prison system in our state.

Let's get serious about prison reform, my spirit cannot be broken as I am prepared to accept my fate, including death from the hands of my keepers for speaking out against the oppressive conditions of confinement in Hawaii, and to give our people a safer community for generations to come.

Ask your entrenched unionized life long corrections professionals two things. What is the Recidivism rate? and why?