The 2012 Native Hawaiian Justice Task Force will hold meetings on Maui and Molokai on concerns about the disproportionate number of Native Hawaiians who are in prison.
The meetings are aimed at identifying solutions to the issue that has been documented by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs in a 2010 report "The Disparate Treatment of Native Hawaiians in the Criminal Justice System."
The Maui meeting will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the University of Hawaii Maui College Ka Lama Building, Room 103.
On Molokai, the meeting will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 1 at Kulana 'Oiwi complex, 600 Maunaloa Highway, Building 2, Kaunakakai. Lanai residents can participate via video.
The meetings follow a two-day summit last month at the state Capitol.
"The task force is working hard to fully understand why Native Hawaiians are overrepresented in the criminal justice system," said Michael Broderick, chairman of the task force and chief executive officer of the YMCA of Honolulu. "The numbers are clear, undisputable, compelling and disturbing. Less clear are the reasons for this tragedy."
