The Correctional System Oversight Commission has provided the public with an unprecedented window into the operations of Hawaii’s troubled prisons and jails.

The “shakedown” was partly prompted by unconfirmed reports that the beating death of an inmate was recorded on a cellphone, according to staff.

Henrietta Stone, 65, has been locked up since 2017 while the court determines if she is mentally fit.

Two other prisoners considered suspects were members of rival gangs who were locked up together in the same cell, staff said.

The paroling authority sets the minimum terms that inmates must serve before they can be released from prison, a task that other states assign to judges.

Mental health experts have submitted a dozen reports to the court assessing the mental state of John Ali Hoffman, but the case still has not moved forward.

It’s the first such program in Hawaii that allows inmates to earn a college degree with classes taught by professors working directly with them at the prison.

Windward Community College is one of the only higher education institutions in Hawaii offering culturally focused classes in prison.  

A pilot program includes peer tutoring, a counselor, correspondence classes and a reentry planning program.

The settlement is surprising because a federal court jury refused to award any damages to the women after a trial last fall.