Rally touts criminal justice reform

The “Day of Empathy for Imprisoned Persons and Their Families” event sought to raise awareness on rehabilitation, recidivism, mental health and racial profiling, among other issues. Among those present were members of the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaiʻi, Young Progressives Demanding Action (YPDA) and IMUA Alliance. Fliers were distributed by the Hawaiʻi Innocence Project reading, “End Private Prisons, “End Mass Incarceration” and “Oppose House Bill 462.”

Will Caron, secretary of YPDA, called prison reform a complicated issue, “but one thing has become abundantly clear after two decades of study: Our prison-industrial system does more harm than it does good, and perpetuates the existence of a permanent underclass in America. We can and must do better.”

The Community Justice Coalition supports a variety of Senate and House bills on reintegration, humane treatment and the overall reduction of incarceration.