When Tsofit Ohayon was incarcerated at the Women’s Community Correctional Center in Kailua, she and many of her fellow inmates often walked in circles or worked out in front of their beds.
Opportunities for physical activity are even more limited since construction began on the site in 2021, taking over an area previously used as a recreation yard.
“I gained about 20 pounds during my stay,” Ohayon said. Ohayon was released last year and now works as a coach and tutor at Windward Community College. “When you’re irritable, you’re less able to let go of your irritability. It makes it more difficult to sleep, leads to health problems, and makes you more likely to get sick.”
But thanks to the vision of WCCC Director Ione Gironta and fundraising efforts by the Women’s Prison Project, plans are underway to establish a wellness center that will provide inmates with exercise equipment and a space for regular fitness classes. .
The wellness center project is part of a series of systemic reforms across the women’s prison and corrections system since the Department of Public Safety was disbanded and the state’s jails were placed under the supervision of the new Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Gironta, who became WCCC’s first permanent female director in January 2023, said the project aligns well with her important goals of helping incarcerated women prepare for reintegration into society and reducing recidivism. Said it was suitable.
“It’s all about building better neighbors,” she said. “These women are leaving… Would you want your next-door neighbor to walk into your garage and gain access to your property?” No, not really. Therefore, we need to provide them with skills, change their whole mindset, and provide them with comprehensive resources for when they enter the workforce. ”
wellness center
The wellness center will be housed in a repurposed 35-by-20-foot room previously used by staff, Gironta said.
All labor to convert the space is provided in-house. The costs are minimal, including about $500 to rewire the electrical wiring.
The Women’s Prison Project, a coalition of former politicians, criminal justice experts and advocates, aims to raise $85,000 to purchase equipment and other items for the center.
However, not just any kind of equipment will be accepted, Gironta said. For example, free weights, dumbbells, and machines with internet connectivity are not allowed.
The Women’s Prison Project is working with Mike Sapp Fitness, a Honolulu personal training and fitness company, to obtain strength training equipment that uses air resistance instead of weights.
“I’m looking at the security aspect,” Gironta said. “Can something break easily? Can metal wire unravel easily?”
The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is also considering hiring additional recreation specialists at a starting wage of $27 an hour, she said. One recreation leader is already employed by the department.
Additionally, Hawaii Friends of Restorative Justice Executive Director Lauren Walker said they are raising money to start a running club. She plans to buy hats, long-sleeved shirts and running shoes for the women and hold sessions on the premises at least once a week.
Gironta said he believes exercise helps inmates increase their self-esteem, improve their health, relieve tension and become better problem-solvers.
“Incarcerated people in particular have very little to do other than code,” she says. “With a wellness center, they tend to feel better about themselves and try to get along with each other.”
Some women who graduated from WCCC say they wish they had access to a gym while at WCCC.
“Working out is a great way to build confidence and believe in yourself again,” said Chinalin Leuroa, who will be released in 2022 after serving five years in prison. “If I don’t have something positive to look forward to, I get very mentally exhausted.”
Gymnasiums have already been installed in two men’s prisons. Halawa Correctional Facility in Aiea houses more than 1,000 male inmates between a medium-security facility and a maximum-security special needs facility, while Kurani Correctional Facility in Hilo houses about 200 male inmates. A man is being held there.
Prisons such as the Oahu Community Correctional Center do not have gyms, said Rosemary Bernardo, a spokeswoman for the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. This is because the prison population is temporary, with most people being held for less than 60 days.
According to the Ministry of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s latest population report, the OCCC currently houses more than 1,000 pretrial detainees, including 107 women, citing inhumane conditions and overcrowding.
Construction of WCCC’s new housing units, which is expected to begin in 2021 and be completed this spring, will increase the jail’s capacity by 176 inmates, allowing it to house all of the women currently referred to OCCC.
reduce prison population
The House Corrections, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee unanimously passed a resolution Wednesday calling on the Women’s Corrections Implementation Committee to develop a strategy to reduce the WCCC population by 25% over the next five years.
The number of women in Hawaii’s prisons increased 14 times between 1978 and 2017, and the number of women in prison increased 17 times during the same period.
According to the Department of Corrections, there are currently 405 women and 2,587 men incarcerated in the state.
Former Gov. Linda Lingle, one of the leading members of the Women’s Prison Project, said one reason it’s important to focus on women in prison is because women are far less likely to become violent offenders. He said this is because they are less likely to reoffend.
According to a 2019 report from the Attorney General’s Office, the recidivism rate for male prisoners released in 2016 was 54.8%. In the female cohort, it was 51.3%.
Women are more likely to be victims than perpetrators of violent crimes, and those who do commit crimes are often the first victims, Lingle said.
According to FBI Uniform Crime Statistics, 11% of violent crime offenders and 42% of violent crime victims in Hawaii in 2022 were women.
“Women commit crimes out of poverty at a much higher rate than men,” Lingle said. “At the same time, 85% have experienced sexual and physical trauma in their lives.”
Lingle said projects like wellness centers and a pilot program that allows women to foster pets in prison will improve the quality of life for incarcerated women, but ultimately said it will require criminal justice reform and more community-based programs that provide affordable services. Provide housing for recently released offenders to dramatically reduce prison populations.
“We need to stop sending women who are nonviolent offenders who really need mental health treatment, drug and alcohol treatment to prison,” she said.
Civil Beat’s community health coverage is supported by the Swain Family Fund of the Hawaii Community Foundation, the Cook Foundation, the Atherton Family Foundation, and Papa Ola Lokahi.
