The state Supreme Court on Monday ordered all neighbor island jails, including Hawaii Community Correctional Center in Hilo, to release inmates meeting certain parameters by Wednesday.
Those ordered released include misdemeanor and petty pretrial detainees and those serving misdemeanor and petty misdemeanor sentences. Excluded are those awaiting trial or serving sentences for domestic abuse, violating a restraining order, order for protection or injunction.
Also to be released are pretrial detainees for felonies with the exception of those charged with assault, sexual assault, robbery, burglary or unauthorized entry to a dwelling, and domestic abuse. Jails are also ordered to release inmates serving a sentence of 18 months or less as a condition of a felony deferral or probation, except those convicted of the felony offenses previously mentioned.
The order is in response to a petition by the Office of the Public Defender, which was concerned about a spike in the numbers of COVID-19 cases, especially on Oahu.
The inmates to be released must not have received a positive COVID-19 test, or those pending results of a test previously taken or exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms.
Inmates released are ordered to self-isolate for 14 days and wear a mask when within six feet of others.
All inmates released are ordered to appear at the court in which they last appeared at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 1 unless ordered otherwise.
As of Aug. 17, according to the Department of Public Safety, HCCC’s inmate population was 355, 149 above its design capacity of 206 inmates.
DPS said that as of Monday, no inmates or staff at HCCC has tested positive for COVID-19. In contrast, Oahu Community Correctional Center, the state’s largest jail, reported 242 inmates and 47 staff testing positive for the coronavirus.
