The Judiciary and its partner, the State Department of Health (DOH), held Hawai‘i’s Statewide Probation Conference at the Koʻolau Ballrooms in Kāne‘ohe, O‘ahu on July 24 and 25. Probation officers and partners from across the islands found it to be a valuable opportunity to engage and learn from national and local experts on the latest practices and research in community supervision.

Thanks to funding from the Department of Health’s Adult Drug and Alcohol Division through the First Circuit Drug Court program, a team of Judiciary staff was able to bring in national and local speakers, including representatives from All Rise (formerly the National Association of Drug Court Professionals), the Peyton Tuthill Foundation, the Treatment Court Institute (TCI), the Hawai‘i Health and Harm Reduction Center (HHHRC), the Honolulu Police Department (HPD), the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR), Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center (WCCHC), Imua Group, Malama Recovery Services, the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program, and the Hawai‘i Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) initiative to present the latest findings and developments related to community supervision.

Probation Administrator Saifoloi Aganon gave the opening remarks to attendees, which included First Circuit probation officers and specialty court staff from the Mental Health Court, Veterans Court, Drug Court Program, and representatives from First Circuit Family Court. On the second day, twelve newly hired probation officers were sworn in by Chief Judge Jeannette Castagnetti.

The State Department of Health’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division (ADAD) co-sponsored the event, allocating funds for conference facilities at the Koʻolau Ballrooms.

The event began with a keynote presentation by Pat Tuthill, President and Founder of the Peyton Tuthill Foundation. Guest speakers included Vanessa Matthews and Traci Collyard (All Rise); Connie Payne and Dawn Boulding (TCI); Heather Lusk (HHHRC); Richard Witt (HIDTA); Kupu Nourrie (Imua Group); Makanihouolani’ihale Tabura (WCCHC); James Stromback and Eric Namoca (HPD); Shawn Colotario (DCR); and Amanda Luning (FASD). They presented on the following topics:

• Interstate Compact

• Risk, Need, and Responsivity

• Incentives, Sanctions, and Service Adjustment

• Treatment Providers Program Presentation

• Recent Drug Trends

• Self-Care

• Housing Gangs 

• Prison Gangs

• Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

Conference organizers conveyed special thanks to the event co-sponsor ADAD for their continued financial support.