By JOHN BURNETT Hawaii Tribune-Herald
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Twenty-three inmates closing in on their release date from Big Island correctional facilities participated Thursday in a reintegration resource fair at Hawaii Community Correctional Center’s Hale Nani Facility in Hilo.

The fair, geared to help the 21 men and two women reenter the community as smoothly as possible, was co-hosted by the departments of Corrections and Rehabilitation and Labor and Industrial Relations. All are classified as community custody inmates and slated to be released within the next year or so, and many already are on work furlough status.

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“What we’re trying to do is a paradigm shift from what some may see as a punitive incarceration to one that’s more restorative and that’s more reentry focused,” Tommy Johnson, director of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, told the Tribune-Herald. “This is only one event we’re doing, across the state, with all the facilities, to help the inmates reintegrate.

“Within the next six to eight months, the vast majority that come here will back out on the street. If we can help them successfully reintegrate, we’ll have safer communities and reduce recidivism.”

The following providers participated in the resource fair: Going Home Hawaii, Kumukahi Health and Wellness, Goodwill Hawaii, American Job Center Hawaii, Hawaii Community College, HOPE Services Hawaii and Big Island Substance Abuse Council.

Representatives from the Hawaii County Vehicle Registration and Licensing also participated in the event, providing personalized assistance on the process to obtain a new driver’s license or state identification card.

Mayor Kimo Alameda told the inmates about to be freed their past offenses “don’t make you a bad person. It just means you made some bad choices.”

“You guys matter to us. You can contribute to society,” Alameda said. “We’re waiting for you to come back. You’re making good choices today by being here.”

Shawn Keolanui, a 62-year-old married father of two daughters and a son, and grandfather of five, saw the fair as important enough to attend on his final day as an inmate.

“They provided us with a lot of work and taught us how to fill out our resumes and transition back out into society,” said Keolanui, who lives in Hilo. “I had a job in Kona I was working at. My trade is in the construction industry, so when I go out, I have a job lined up already. I’m a laborer, but I work in all fields — carpentry, masonry, plumbing.”

Keolanui, who was sentenced to 10 years for first-degree assault and later violated his parole, has arranged a job as a plumber’s helper.

“For the past 30 years, I’ve been in and out of prison,” he said. “I’ve learned to make better choices and use the classes they provide to help me out.”

Sebastian Hernandez, a 33-year-old Keaau man, originally faced a potential 20-year prison term for a burglary in Hawaiian Paradise Park during a declared emergency because of the June 27, 2014, lava flow that nearly overran Highway 130 near Pahoa. It was his first offense.

“They used me as an example,” Hernandez said. “I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Hernandez’s lawyer arranged a plea deal for a maximum 10-year sentence. He was sentenced to probation but ended up serving the 10-year term because he violated his probation with a drug offense.

“When I first started my (sentence), I was very angry,” Hernandez said. “But I had to learn to forgive myself and learn to forgive everyone else around me. It was a personal experience for me, and I wouldn’t be the man I am today without everything I went through. But I’m glad the rehabilitation in this corrections (facility) helped me out, because I never had a high school diploma. I got my G.E.D. I finished all my drug programming.”

Hernandez, who also is the father of two daughters and a son, is expected to be released from custody on Friday. He spoke with representatives of Hawaii Community College about their automotive technology program.

“When I was up at Kulani, I was very fortunate to work in the auto mechanics shop.” he said. “I learned to drive truck, heavy equipment. And when I came down here to furlough, I was working construction for a while. That’s not what I was really into. So, now I work for Louie Perreira at Louie’s Auto Repair.

“I was fortunate he gave me a chance to work for him.”

Hernandez, who now has two things he didn’t have prior to incarceration — a driver’s license and a bank account — said he had to “learn to be responsible.”

He expressed his gratitude for his caseworker, Lisa Jobes, and his girlfriend, who he called “my biggest sober support.”

Moses Mackwelung, who represented Goodwill Hawaii with Bertrisha Smith, said they “help people get better employment through training and education services.”

“I feel great giving people a second chance, offering them the type of resources that they need,” he said.

Clinton Mercado and Kevin Aki Jr. provide similar services at American Job Center Hawaii.

“We help them find jobs, we help them train for jobs, we help them with education — whatever type of needs they have,” said Mercado. “If they want to do (commercial drivers licenses), apprenticeships, we help with that.”

Some, unfortunately, are still dealing with active drug and/or alcohol addiction when released, said Dana Revilla, who has 28 years of sobriety and has worked with BISAC for two decades.

“You want to give back what you were given,” she said. “I think most of us in the field of social work or in (drug rehabilitation) have an affinity for the people we work for.

“Some of them come straight from here to us. So our agency will come pick them up and transport them. And they will see me, first up, because I do the assessments. I will run their assessment through and find out if they’re appropriate to be in our therapeutic live-in programs, because we have several homes and a detox program. We have moms and babies, and we have the men’s house.”

“Everyone deserves the opportunity to rebuild their lives,” concluded DLIR Director Jade Butay. “Events like this reintegration fair align with our mission to connect all job-seekers — including justice-involved individuals — with the resources they need to succeed.

“By working together, we help strengthen families, communities and Hawaii’s workforce.”

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