Relating To Juvenile Justice.
HB60 would require the Department of Human Services’ Office of Youth Services to develop and implement a new program that provides individualized service and support teams for at-risk or court-involved youth who are referred by law enforcement, prosecutors, schools, family resource centers, child advocacy centers, or other government agencies and who choose to participate. The program is intended to deliver culturally responsive, community-based assessments, services, and referrals aimed at addressing the underlying factors that contribute to juvenile offending.
In developing the program, the office must review existing youth services already available through federal, state, county, contracted, and private providers, including youth services centers, and must seek input from community organizations, homeless service providers, educators, schools, and other stakeholders. The bill also directs the office to use juvenile justice data, avoid duplicating existing services where possible, identify service gaps, pursue grants, and adopt rules governing data sharing and privacy. The executive director would be required to report findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, in the office’s annual report to the Legislature.
The bill would amend chapter 352D, Hawaii Revised Statutes, by adding a new statutory duty for the Office of Youth Services and by updating the office’s listed continuum of services to include individualized service and support teams. It also appropriates unspecified general funds for fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 to develop and implement the program. If enacted, the measure would expand the office’s responsibilities, create a new youth intervention framework within the Department of Human Services, and require administrative rulemaking on data privacy and sharing.
The bill’s findings and structure reflect a generally supportive, prevention-oriented approach to juvenile justice, emphasizing early intervention, culturally responsive services, and community-based support rather than punishment alone. The available record contains no committee testimony, votes, or amendments, so there is no documented opposition or formal debate in the provided materials. Overall, the bill appears framed as a policy response to youth arrests and racial disparities in the juvenile justice system.
The main policy considerations embedded in the bill are how the new program would interact with existing youth services, how to avoid duplicating current efforts while still filling service gaps, and how data sharing and privacy rules would be structured. The bill also highlights overrepresentation of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander youth, which suggests a focus on equity and culturally specific services; that emphasis could be a point of discussion for stakeholders concerned with targeting, implementation, or resource allocation. Because no hearing transcript or vote history is provided, no specific opposing arguments or named opponents are documented.