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| State of Hawaiʻi Department of Public Safety | |
|---|---|
| Agency name | State of Hawaiʻi Department of Public Safety |
| Abbreviation | DPS |
| Formed | 1967 |
| Preceding1 | Territory of Hawaii Department of Public Safety |
| Jurisdiction | Hawaii |
| Headquarters | Honolulu |
| Employees | 2,000+ |
| Budget | $200 million+ (annual) |
State of Hawaiʻi Department of Public Safety. The Department of Public Safety is a state-level agency responsible for custodial, law enforcement, and correctional functions within Honolulu, Hilo, Kahului, Lihue, and other communities across Hawaii; it interacts with entities such as the Hawaiʻi State Legislature, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Hawaii Department of Health, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and United States Marshals Service while managing facilities, programs, and statutory obligations under laws like the Hawaii Revised Statutes and working alongside agencies such as the Hawaii Police Department, United States Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, and regional partners including the Alaska Department of Corrections and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
The agency traces institutional roots to territorial-era corrections and policing structures established before State of Hawaiihood and subsequent reorganizations during administrations of governors including John A. Burns, George Ariyoshi, John Waiheʻe III, Ben Cayetano, Linda Lingle, and David Ige; it evolved alongside national developments exemplified by the Wilkinson v. Austin jurisprudence, federal consent decrees such as those involving the United States Department of Justice and landmark cases like Brown v. Plata that influenced prison standards. Reforms followed incidents involving correctional facilities in Hawaii County, policy shifts prompted by reports from entities including the American Civil Liberties Union, oversight by the Hawaii State Auditor, and collaborations with academic institutions such as the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and Harvard University on corrections research.
Administration is overseen by an appointed Director who reports to executive leadership connected to the Governor of Hawaii and coordination with the Hawaii State Legislature, Hawaii State Judiciary, and state departments such as the Hawaii Department of Transportation for prisoner transport; historical directors have engaged with federal actors like the Federal Bureau of Investigation and nonprofit organizations including the Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice. The chain of command comprises chiefs and deputy directors reflecting structures similar to the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision and Texas Department of Criminal Justice, with internal oversight mechanisms influenced by standards from the American Correctional Association and guidance from the National Institute of Corrections.
Divisions include corrections, law enforcement, and administrative services modeled on counterparts such as the Washington State Department of Corrections, with facilities ranging from intake centers to medium- and maximum-security institutions located on islands including Oʻahu, Maui, Kauaʻi, and Hawaiʻi (island). Notable sites under its purview have included the Halawa Correctional Facility, Kahului Community Correctional Center, Waiawa Correctional Facility, and administrative centers in Kapolei; the department coordinates with entities like the Hawaii Paroling Authority, Department of Public Safety Division of Narcotics Enforcement (Hawaii), and federal detention partners such as the United States Marshals Service and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Primary responsibilities encompass inmate custody, rehabilitation programs, facility security, prisoner transport, court services, and law enforcement support across island jurisdictions; operations intersect with statutory mandates in the Hawaii Revised Statutes, federal standards from the United States Department of Justice and collaborations with the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for health services. The agency administers intake, reentry planning, mental health services in partnership with organizations like the Hawaii State Department of Health, and training operations referencing curricula from the National Sheriffs' Association and Police Executive Research Forum while coordinating emergency responses with the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency.
Budgetary oversight is exercised through appropriations by the Hawaii State Legislature and executive proposals from the Governor of Hawaii with audits conducted by the Hawaii State Auditor; funding supports personnel, facilities, medical care, and programs and is benchmarked against budgets of agencies such as the Arizona Department of Corrections and Florida Department of Corrections. Staffing includes correctional officers, administrative personnel, clinicians, and law enforcement specialists whose collective bargaining, pensions, and benefits engage entities like the Hawaii Government Employees Association and systems under the Hawaii Public Employees Retirement System; recruitment and retention trends have been compared in studies by the Urban Institute and Pew Charitable Trusts.
The department has faced scrutiny from civil rights organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union and litigants invoking constitutional claims under precedents like Estelle v. Gamble and Farmer v. Brennan; controversies have involved allegations of inadequate medical care, staffing shortages, facility conditions, and use-of-force incidents that prompted investigations by the United States Department of Justice and oversight from the Hawaii State Judiciary. High-profile cases have drawn attention from local media such as the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and national outlets like The New York Times and prompted legislative hearings in the Hawaii State Legislature, administrative reforms influenced by reports from the Hawaii State Auditor and consultations with correctional experts from institutions like the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
Programs include educational and vocational training in partnership with community colleges such as the Leeward Community College and Kapiʻolani Community College, substance-abuse treatment initiatives coordinated with the Hawaii State Department of Health and nonprofit providers including Mental Health America, reentry services connecting with workforce agencies like the Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, and violence reduction strategies informed by research from the National Institute of Justice and Bureau of Justice Assistance. Initiatives have encompassed telehealth expansion with vendors and institutions such as the Johns Hopkins University and grant-funded pilot programs involving the United States Department of Justice and philanthropic partners like the MacArthur Foundation.
Category:State agencies of Hawaii