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January 1, 2010

The Disparate Treatment of Native Hawaiians in the Criminal Justice System

Publisher: Office of Hawaiian Affairs

Funders: Open Society Institute, Public Welfare Foundation

For the last two centuries, the criminal justice system has negatively impacted Native Hawaiians in ways no other ethnic group has experienced. The findings in this report are concerning as it tells the story of how an institution, fueled by tax payers' dollars, disparately affects a unique indigenous group of people, making them even more vulnerable than ever to the loss of land, culture, and community. These racial disparities begin with the initial contact of a punitive system that creates over-powering barriers in changing the course of their lives and are exponentially increased as a person moves through the system. To reduce the harmful effects of the criminal justice system on Native Hawaiians and all people, Hawai'i must take action, and seek alternative solutions to prison. Assistance and training is needed in law enforcement, holistic interventions need to be implemented and evaluated, and a cultural shift in the way we imprison a person must change. If not, we will exacerbate prison over-crowding, and continue to foster the incarceration of generations to come.