Honolulu Civil Beat: Hawai‘i County Prosecutor Q&A

This year’s election is an important one.  Mahalo to Honolulu Civil Beat for the opportunity to share my plans with our community.  Here is an except of my Q&A. You can check out the full Q&A in the link below.

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Question: Native Hawaiians are disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system. What would you do to address racism and discriminatory treatment in law enforcement?

Answer: As part-Hawaiian, I am aware of the historical inequalities and injustices that Native Hawaiians and other people of color have faced over the years. I also recognize that there are a disproportionate number of Native Hawaiians in the criminal justice system. This requires our government, including all law enforcement agencies, to come together to address the issue of racism and inequality.

We need to evaluate our guidelines and processes to provide for the fair treatment of all, including defendants, witnesses and victims. This requires awareness and education in historical inequalities and injustices within the wider justice system and a continued vigilance toward true equal application of the criminal justice system. In order to address the root causes of inequality and injustices, we also need to provide more opportunities, assistance and services for Native Hawaiians and people of color. As part of my administration, I will provide all prosecuting attorneys within the Prosecutor’s Office with continuing education and training regarding racism and implicit biases and work with them to make sure they are knowledgeable about all sentencing options, including alternatives to incarceration, such as jail diversion programs, specialty courts and restorative justice.

Link: https://www.civilbeat.org/2020/06/candidate-qa-hawaii-county-prosecutor-kelden-waltjen/