Trending
The Maui News
The number of vaccinated inmates in local jails and prisons and at Saguaro Correctional Center in Arizona where some Hawaii inmates are being held has increased from 2,530 on Oct. 14 to 3,916 as of Wednesday, the state Department of Public Safety announced.
The department credited the vaccine incentive program that took effect Oct. 14 and allowed inmates who are in custody on or after March 3 through Dec. 31, 2024 and who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to receive a one-time award of $50. The payments are deposited into the inmate's spendable trust account.
"To see 1,386 more inmates choose to get vaccinated in this time since we started offering the incentive proves that this program is working," Tommy Johnson, Public Safety Department deputy director for corrections, said in a news release Wednesday. "We hope to see more inmates take part in this program and make the important decision to safeguard themselves and those around them."
Vaccination totals should not be compared to the current inmate population, as inmates who were fully vaccinated and received the incentive may no longer be in custody, the department said.
The department requested and received approval for $615,000 in federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 funds to be specifically used as an incentive initiative for offenders in custody. So far $144,000 has been expended. The incentive payment is not available to state employees.
COVID-19 testing is continuously conducted in state prisons and jails as well as at Saguaro Correctional Center. In the latest round of testing, 15 inmates at the Maui Community Correctional Center tested negative for the virus.
The department's Administration Division reported one employee with a confirmed positive test result and said the state Department of Health had been notified.
For more information on inmate testing data and the Public Safety Department's pandemic response efforts, visit dps.hawaii.gov/blog/2020/03/17/coronavirus-covid-19-information-and-resources/.