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This new gym has the usual ellipticals, treadmills and strength trainers but no weights, and the machines can’t connect to the internet due to security concerns.

That’s because it’s located at �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ��’s only women’s prison.

Prison reform advocates hope the privately funded exercise room at the Women’s Community Correctional Center in Kailua will contribute to an overall effort to focus on rehabilitation and help prevent inmates from committing more crimes after their release.

Jessica Hinebaugh, who has served nine years of a life sentence in the facility, sees it as an opportunity to help the women regain a sense of control over their bodies and minds through fitness. Before its opening, inmates said they had few opportunities to work out, which negatively affected their physical and mental health.

“I’m very excited to utilize this space,” Hinebaugh, 31, said last month during a blessing ceremony for the gym. “I do think that empathy starts with having a little for yourself first.”

The fitness equipment was installed in a space formerly used as a records office at the facility, which houses 212 inmates. The Women’s Prison Project raised around $140,000 from private donors, more than its initial goal of $85,000 to cover the equipment and shipping costs.

The machines use air resistance instead of weights and don’t have internet connectivity to comply with prison security requirements. Photos of inspiring female athletes from �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ��, such as Olympic , professional and world , adorn the walls.

Ione Guillonta, the WCCC’s first female warden, said the fitness center will provide a sense of hope for the inmates and let them know they’re not forgotten. Two men’s prisons, Halawa Correctional Facility in ʻAiea and Kulani Correctional Facility in Hilo, already have gymnasiums. 

“I see you, we see you,” Guillonta told a group of inmates at the Nov. 21 ceremony. “Every workout, every drop of sweat, every moment you push yourself here is a step towards reclaiming your own strength.” 

Hinebaugh, who is serving a life sentence with the possibility of parole for attempted murder after an , said most of the inmates at the facility struggle with their mental health. She would like to see more grief counseling and other services available to help women process trauma. 

Women are much less likely than men to be violent offenders and female inmates tend to have a history of physical or sexual abuse, according to former Gov. Linda Lingle, a leader of the Women’s Prison Project. 

“The women who are here almost across the board have had a very difficult life,” she said. “Because life’s not fair, they need some of us on the outside of this facility to help.” 

According to a 2023 report from the �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ�� Criminal Justice Research Institute, at the Women’s Community Correctional Center had never been convicted of a violent offense, defined as murder, manslaughter, first-degree robbery, first-degree sexual assault, kidnapping and first-degree promotion of child abuse.

Most — 77% — are men, while 42% of violent crime victims are women, according to FBI Uniform Crime statistics over the last five years.

But female prisoners who are released end up back behind bars at similar rates as men. The recidivism rate of a 2016 cohort of released prisoners, probationers and parolees was and 54.8% for men, according to a 2019 report from the state Department of Health. 

The gym can serve as a tool for helping ensure prisoners don’t re-offend when they’re released by allowing them to work on their physical health, mental well-being and self esteem while incarcerated, said Tommy Johnson, director of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 

Members of the Women’s Prison Project also hope the gym can provide job training opportunities, such as the ability for inmates to get personal trainer certifications, because lack of economic opportunity can lead people to commit more crimes.

Johnson also said he wants to hire additional case managers and staff members to assist inmates with reentry. Another contributing factor to recidivism is a lack of support when former prisoners reenter society, according to the Department of Health report.

Lingle said the number one factor leading recently released prisoners to commit more crimes is lack of housing. The Women’s Prison Project received a $180,000 grant in November from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to provide rent subsidies for women living at Mohala Mai, a supportive housing project that opened last year for women who have been involved in the criminal justice system. Five women moved into apartments there last month after being released from WCCC, Lingle said.

Ultimately, Lingle said the goal of the Women’s Prison Project is to keep women out of prison altogether by providing more support for them in the community.

Guillonta said she hopes women who are incarcerated will remember that they have people who care about them.

“The road ahead may not always be easy,” she said, “but remember you are not alone.”