Hawaii Sen. Will Espero is heading back to Honolulu on Friday after attending a national forum on prisoner reentry and recidivism reduction presented by the Pew Center on the States, the Public Welfare Foundation and other groups.

Espero tells DC808 that Hawaii Public Safety Department Director Jodie Maesaka-Hirata and Darin Kawazoe, a reentry coordinator with the department, also attended the Washington conference. 

The goal of the forum was to gather state leaders from across the country and build on progress made over the last decade with regards to prisoner reentry. 

“It is connected with our Justice Reinvestment Initiative in Hawaii being done by the Justice Center where we are reviewing our corrections and judicial system and looking for efficiencies and cost-savings measures so we do not have to build new facilities,” Espero said. “It will also help in returning our inmates from the mainland.”