All Hawaii state jails and prisons are resuming in-person visitation, effective Monday, March 28, 2022. Inmates have been informed of the change. All families will have to follow new COVID guidelines for entry into the facility.
“Now that the latest COVID-19 outbreak to hit our state has passed, the department feels it is safe to resume family visitation as long as the families and inmates follow the added COVID-19 safety measures,” said Tommy Johnson, Deputy Director for Corrections.
All regular visitation rules will apply as per policy. Each facility will resume their normal visitation schedule but will be adjusting to conduct the visits in compliance with CDC social distancing requirements for contained correctional settings.
“We know inmates and their families have been looking forward to the restoration of visits and we appreciate everyone’s patience as we reestablish the process,” said Deputy Director Johnson. “Because of the added social distancing requirement, the facilities will have to reduce the number of people in the visitation rooms. Wait times may be longer due to these new requirements and that means the number of visitors allowed in each day will decrease”.
The new COVID-19 safety measures include the following:
- Visitors will undergo a temperature check and will be required to fill out a COVID-19 health screening form upon entry.
- Masks must be worn at all times.
- The visitation areas will be sanitized between each visit session.
Individual facility visit schedules and rules can be found on the Department of Public Safety’s website: https://dps.hawaii.gov/about/divisions/corrections/
CDC Guidance for Correctional & Detention Facilities can be found here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/correction-detention/guidance-correctional-detention.html
Inmate Vaccination/Booster Update
On October 14, 2021, the Department of Public Safety (PSD) announced the implementation of a vaccine incentive program for inmates. Inmates in PSD custody on or after March 3, 2021, through December 31, 2024, who are still in custody, and fully vaccinated against COVID-19, are eligible to receive a one-time incentive award of $50 and an additional $25 if the fully vaccinated inmates choose to receive the booster shot. The payments are deposited into the inmate’s spendable trust account. A portion of the money is withdrawn for victim restitution.
As of March 18, 2022, the number of inmates, both in-state and at Saguaro Correctional Center in Eloy, AZ, who completed their vaccine doses jumped from 3,916, reported December 15, 2021, to 4,202. Inmates who completed the booster shot increased from 1,025, reported February 11, 2022, to 1,527.
The Department of Public Safety (PSD) continues to encourage all staff and inmates to voluntarily get tested and receive the COVID-19 vaccination. For more detailed inmate testing data, PSD’s Pandemic Plan and information on response efforts made to safeguard the inmates, staff and public, visit the dedicated COVID-19 webpage at: http://dps.hawaii.gov/blog/2020/03/17/coronavirus-covid-19-information-and-resources/.