The new man behind the bars

The new warden at Hawaii Community Correctional Center credits “hard work, determination, timing and some luck” for his appointment to the Hilo jail’s top post.

Peter Cabreros was the facility’s chief of security for 12 years before becoming its warden Wednesday following the retirement of former warden Pete MacDonald. The 63-year-old married father of three daughters and grandfather of three granddaughters has been with the state Department of Public Safety for more than four decades, starting as an adult corrections officer and working his way up the ranks.

Cabreros, the son of plantation-worker parents, was born in Hilo, raised in Keaau and later moved to Pahala, graduating from Ka‘u High School. He also served six years in the Hawaii Army National Guard.

Cabreros said hanging out at a gas station after work as a youth led to his becoming a corrections officer.

“All the police officers used to come there and service their cars. I got to know all of them,” Cabreros said Friday. “And I used to raise hell with my Camaro and my dirt bike. And they told me, ‘Peter, before you get into trouble, there’s an opening at the jail. I’ll write a letter for you.’ So I applied and did the interview. … They showed me a copy of the letter later on. The whole Ka‘u police department signed off on the letter.”

Cabreros has spent 39 of his 40 years in DPS at HCCC; the other year was at Kulani Correctional Facility.

HCCC includes both the Punahele street jail and the Hale Nani reintegration center in Panaewa. As of Friday, there were 387 inmates in facilities designed to house 268.

“Probably the biggest challenge I have is the population — overcrowding — and I guess the facility itself, because it’s aged, it needs a lot of renovations — acquiring funds for the improvements and increasing the bed space,” he said. “I know there’s some planning and some funds have been appropriated for planning and design.”

Due to overcrowding, some inmates are forced to sleep on mattresses on the floor. According to DPS spokeswoman Toni Schwartz, that’s the case at all community correctional centers in the state.

There also have been a number of escapes the past few years.

At Hale Nani, where there are no fences, that includes inmates with little time left on their sentences who either walk away or fail to return from work furloughs. But at Punahele Street, two inmates, including Jarvis Higa — who’s awaiting trial on attempted murder — staged a violent jailbreak on Dec. 5, 2012.

Both were later recaptured, although the other inmate, Ryan Jeffries-Hamar, was on the lam for more than a month.

And on April 25 this year, four inmates, including Malaki McBride — who’s awaiting a murder re-trial after his conviction for a shotgun slaying was overturned — allegedly broke a door leading to a fenced recreational area.

All were captured before they could get out and were charged with attempted escape.

Cabreros said changes have been or are being made to increase the jail’s security.

“We’ve modified the areas that we thought were weak in the fencing,” he said.

“We’ve gotten some new surveillance cameras. We’ve even gotten what they call ‘panic alarms’ that the staff use. There’s a continuous effort to improve HCCC. Even before the incident with Malaki McBride, we already had plans to upgrade some of the security doors and stuff like that. … We’ve beefed up the area where Malaki tried to escape, and we’re waiting for some quotes so we can start repairs on the security doors in the structure.”

And all six inmates have been transferred to Halawa Correctional Facility, a medium security prison on Oahu.

Other concerns include prison contraband, which includes tobacco since all state prisons went smoke-free a number of years ago.

“We’re constantly monitoring the entrances, doing perimeter checks, doing our searches. And somehow, no matter how much we try, some of the inmates continue to look for ways to bring them into the facility. I’ve been here for 40 years, and I’ve always seen it happen,” Cabreros said.

“I remember working in this unit when tobacco was allowed here, and it was terrible. It was like London with the fog.”

Some state facilities have had problems with guards smuggling in banned items. Last year, former Halawa guards James “Kimo” Sanders was sentenced to four years and Mark Damas to four years, nine months by the feds for dealing methamphetamine at the prison.

“With staff, it’s unfortunate. It does happen, you know,” Cabreros said.

“And we do eventually catch up to them.”

A number of correctional facilities also have dealt with the so-called “blue flu” — guards calling in sick. The biggest sick day for DPS is Super Bowl Sunday.

“I must say, I’ve been pretty proud of my guys the past couple of years,” Cabreros said. “You know, I expected, I guess (more absenteeism) because of the Super Bowl, but the past two years my guys showed up for work. We had one of the lowest (rates of) sick leave during the Super Bowl.

“ We had some issues during previous years and, you know, I tried to identify why by talking to (guards) and stuff. I notice it’s depending on the crew and the chemistry they have with each other. Like during the Super Bowl, encouraging them to come to work by having a potluck. They kind of push each other to come to work.”

Cabreros oversees a staff of 180, about 145 of whom are guards. He said there are about a dozen corrections officer openings presently, but he’s looking forward to gaining “about five or six” new hires from the current guard recruit class.

He added the job isn’t for everyone.

“We have inmates that have mental health issues, medical issues, we have the management problem ones. We also have the ones we place in segregation because of rules violations, misconduct,” he said.

“I tell each recruit on the first day I meet them, being a corrections officer takes a special person. It’s about commitment, about dedication, about integrity, about sacrifice. With our line of work, we work 24/7, holidays, weekends. I tell them all, ‘When your family’s out there celebrating these holidays and special occasions, somebody’s gotta work.’

“I look for officers who are willing to make that sacrifice and commitment.”

Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.